A Forgotten Contrast
by Rad3on
Summary: Legend Of Zelda, BOTW AU. After the defeat of Calamity Ganon, Link and Mipha find themselves falling for each other. But the return of an old Legend of Zelda enemy turns plans sour and creates too many near-death experiences. Will Link and Mipha be able to weather the storm against their assassin? Or will they fall prey to Ganon and his minions like so many before them?
1. Prologue

**On September 13, 2018, I switched the rating for this novelization from mature to teen. I decided that it wasn't very explicit when it came to sexual references, but it definitely still has a fair amount of violence, ie blow-by-blow fights, so be wary. If anyone disagrees with this choice, feel free to send me a pm. Anyways, hopefully it'll increase the publicity as I try to get back into the feel of writing for this story. To those still revisiting here, I'm not dead-I'm just a person that gets burned out way too quickly and am incapable of moderating myself lmao. Hopefully I'll see you soon once I finish learning what a transition sentence is.**

* * *

 ** _A Glimpse of what is to come:_**

* * *

 _My mind is not my own._

 _I can't close my eyes without the fear of being unable to reopen them. I feel a void inside me; not emptiness as something fills it—but more like an eternal darkness that simply refuses to be squandered. It occupies my thoughts whenever my mind is idle. It exists in the deepest parts of every choice I make. How can I be sure what I do isn't influenced by this dark power? What if I am just a pawn in its master plan? Do I not actually have control, but am just convinced that I do? How can I be sure of any choice I've made recently? How can I be sure of anything I do—or even don't do?_

 _To escape reality, I like to wander through the open expanse that is my imagination—to create the impossible. At times it's an endless cobblestone hallway with murals that spiral infinitely along the walls. Other times it's an open field with impossible creatures within it; majestic, soaring animals of scales, horns and feathers. Many of them could fly into the blue sky to get a closer look at the sun while those on the opposite end of the spectrum had the ability to swim to the deepest part of any ocean and find even more impossible creatures like themselves, but not anymore. The animals don't swim; they don't even fly anymore. It's a rare occurrence to even perceive one of the fake creatures I've made in my day-dreaming subconscious. Now, all my imagination can create is a dark room; one that has no walls and echoes endlessly if I were to scream. For some reason, no matter how loud I yell, I always get the feeling that no one can hear; that no one will ever hear my struggle. The only two tenants in my mind now is myself, the small voice that prompts me towards greatness, and the darkness sitting inside me, waiting ever-so-patiently to burst forth like a wave through my emotions. It terrifies me beyond words that one day, a day either a hundred years in the future or sometime within the next hour, I won't have the mental stamina to keep the darkness behind closed doors anymore; that it will have complete control to end my life as it had almost succeeded at last night. Or even worse, it could lock me in a safe inside of my own body and force me to watch as it commits atrocities._

 _The only reassurance I have is the smile of my beloved. Even though parts of my mind scream at me to get away from her, that she's my kryptonite, I stay by her side. She is my anchor to reality; something that I know is real and has the power to ward off the perpetual danger inside me. I tend to reminisce on the blue glow of her hands and the warmth that emanates from them; it's soothing almost to the point of addiction._

 _For at times when I find myself being pulled under by waves of darkness and malevolence, she is able to throw a lifesaver that would drag me back to the shore of sanity. But with each time I recover, so do the waves. The tides never seem to go back out but instead grow into an insurmountable force equal in power to a tsunami. The rolling waves that want to bring me back, to lock my mind into a labyrinth deep inside the darkness where I would never escape._

 _Each time I close my eyes, I see the rolling waves of the black water. There is no sun. There are no clouds and there is not a drop of rain. Each and every time I blink my eyes, an inexplicable feeling arises to keep them closed, to never open them again._

 _In a world of uncertainty, I can only be sure of one thing—my mind is not my own._


	2. A Brief Chase

It was a beautiful day, but an absolutely miserable walk. Link was with Zelda, escorting her from the Spring of Wisdom. His job was to protect her from any harm, specifically from any of Ganon's minions. Link sighed deeply and looked up into the woods above them. They still had a ways to walk before they reached the bottom where he knew the other champions were waiting.

A smile fluttered on the end of his lips as he thought of Mipha. He'd always enjoyed being around her more than anyone else, but he wasn't sure if she thought the same. Maybe he was oblivious, or maybe he was just looking for something that just wasn't there. He looked down at the sad thought and studied the trees around them.

The forest was lively as critters ran around and bustled in the bushes. The brambles around them threatened to tear at their clothing if they got too close. Link snapped his head towards each new sound like a snapping twig or a shaking of the tree leaves above them. He was on constant lookout for enemies as the sunlight filtered through the dense trees into their faces.

Link continued to scan around them, not seeing anything out of the ordinary other than a couple over-friendly animals. Suddenly, they all turned and ran away from them as they got close. Link tried not to follow them with his gaze as they scrambled into the bushes around the path.

Link stopped for a second as he could have sworn he saw a pair of red eyes staring at him through the woods. It disappeared so quickly, Link wasn't sure if it was his imagination or not. Unknown to Link, the face has was just staring at was indeed a person-A Hylian just like him.

The man stood as motionless as he could while he shut his eyes hastily. He knew that the darkness around him would hide his body perfectly. But the moment he and Link had made eye contact, he knew his glowing red pupils had betrayed him. He waited in the bush, refusing to move a muscle as the footsteps of the princess and her guard got farther away. Eventually, the man let go of his breath and reopened his eyes. He prayed to Ganon that Link doesn't draw the Master Sword as he knew how bright it would glow. The man looked on from the bush into the woods painfully. Deep down he sighed in frustration knowing that the task of killing a princess was never an easy one.

Link looked away from the large trees. He was tired of scanning the forest around them so he looked down at Zelda about to voice his thoughts. He bit his tongue when he saw how miserable she was.

Zelda caught his gaze and looked over at him in helplessness. She felt useless—she wasn't any help to anyone. She felt that her whole life has been a failure, at least she believed it to be. Her heels dragged along the ground in despair—a thin trail was left in the dust behind them.

Zelda just wasn't able to harness her power from Hylia. Link knew what her problem was: she didn't have any conviction for it, no motivation or incentive. But even if he told her that, it wouldn't change a thing. If anything, it would remind her of another failure she'd inadvertently blame herself for. Their eyes connected for a second but she looked away in anger.

Link had been able to fulfill his destiny. He is also one of the best swordsman in Hyrule. Even though she knew for a fact he was the best, she dampened his title to make herself feel less inferior.

Zelda took a deep breath and looked down the road again. She could just barely make out the light breaking through the end of the tree line. They were getting close to the large field that separated the Champions and the tree line. That's when she noticed Link stiffen up suddenly.

Link didn't know if it was a third eye sense, or maybe an uncanny feeling, but he knew they were being watched—being followed. Zelda looked at him and almost regretted it as Link snapped at her to: "look away and keep walking. Act as if something _isn't_ wrong." She opened her mouth to speak about his rudeness but stopped herself. She closed her mouth into a frown with an audible click as Link picked up his pace.

Zelda had to skip before she caught up to her personal guard. When she did, Link spoke calmly and silently, "we're being followed."

Zelda rolled her eyes saying, "probably just my father sending another escort like usual."

"oh yeah?" Link looked over at her with a skeptical expression, "to tread unwarranted and trespass on sacred grounds? He couldn't convince them to do that even if he tried."

Zelda shut her mouth and kept her head straight. Now that she thought about it, there were extra pairs of footsteps behind them. It was faint, ever so slight, but she could still hear them. Her thoughts of being rude and grumpy to Link about his attitude immediately left her and a feeling of dread crept into the emptiness inside her.

Link kept his face forward, but his eyes to the side. He knew it was bokoblins, or a Yiga or two, maybe even Moblin's. It was hard to tell, but Link had to act quickly. This was his job—protecting the Princess of Hyrule.

He whispered suddenly, piercing the silence that grew between them. "when I say run, go for the trees. Find our Champions and stay with them. I'll be right behind you." Link met her eyes at the last part of his sentence. He knew it was a lie. He'd most likely fall behind to make sure they didn't follow Zelda.

Link didn't have his bow on him, he didn't expect to need it on such a menial trip. He cursed at himself for being so lazy. Zelda caught his eye and was too terrified to notice the lie. He nodded to her and she nodded back. Link suddenly got behind Zelda and pushed her forward shouting, "go now!"

His words and sudden movement galvanized Zelda into action and she ran as fast as her legs would allow. Link ran with her and immediately noticed the footsteps behind them get louder, and faster.

They were close to the tree line, but even Zelda knew they wouldn't make it. Link kept urging her on but risked a glance behind them. His morale dropped as he saw multiple white Bokoblins behind them, all with perfectly smithed weapons and endless stamina. He saw the treetops quivering as a dark Moblin ran behind them. He wasn't sure if he saw any Yiga clan members or not but he assumed they were there.

The Moblin caught his attention first. They were giant creatures and were easily the height of a small house in Kakariko Village. They had large tongues that killed out of the sides of their mouths as they ran. Moblin's also required a large amount of food for their bulky form. So to hunt their food source of elf and people, they used large wooden clubs. Link was relieved to see it wasn't spiked but knew the kind of force it would have behind it. The Bokoblins that swarmed around its feet like ants drew Link's attention next.

White Bokoblins were by far the best warriors to Ganon. They had humorously large heads that weren't proportional to their body. It made an easy target but also distracted anyone who stared at it thinking about the physics behind their neck structure. Link also knew that they'd make bowls out of their skulls if they got their hands on them. Link knew that he would be able to hold his own against a couple of them. But while protecting Zelda? He shook his head, knowing this was a bad situation.

Link turned back to a tired Zelda and renewed her stamina by giving her another shove. Normally he would never lay his hands on the princess, but the situation demanded it.

The treetops were thinning out and beads of sunlight lit the road in front of them. Link could clearly make out the edge of the tree line and where the field started. Once they got there, it would be a straight run and they'd easily be able to dodge anything the Bokoblins threw at them.

It wasn't long before they managed to break the tree line. As soon as they did, Link stopped and pulled out the master sword. Zelda turned back to him and was about shout his name. She stopped and kept running when she saw the horde of creatures behind them. Link looked at her angrily and waved for her to keep going.

Link took half a second to study the tree in front of him. It was a large oak tree that was destined to die soon. Rot surrounded the tops of the branches as it leaned over the path that he and Zelda had just come out of. Link took a deep breath and heaved the Master Sword as hard as he could towards the trunk.

The sword bit into the thick wood but cut down into the heartwood with one swipe. He wrestled it free and swung again. The tree shuddered and with a creak began to fall sideways. The Bokoblin at the front of the pack was too bloodthirsty to realize what Link was doing. The creature raised its large axe and charged forward straight towards Link.

Link clenched his teeth and slammed his right boot forward, feeling a solid connection to the stomach of the Bokoblin. Luckily, he managed to wind the creature which forced it to stop and crouch down to recover its breath. Link took the chance to grab his sword again and start running back to Zelda. The Bokoblin looked up as it heard a creaking that slowly grew in intensity. Its eyes widened and it stopped trying to regain its breath—there wasn't a reason to.

Link heard the sound of the tree landing and barring the pass of the other Bokoblins, at least for a couple seconds. He looked straight ahead and saw Zelda just about to crest a ridge. He knew that the other Champions were only about 500m from the top of that rise. With their help, he knew Zelda would easily make it.

Zelda knew this too so she took a glance to look back at Link. However, Link was expecting a reassured smile but instead, all he got was a horrified expression on her face. She covered her mouth and turned to keep running. Link lost sight of her in the thick grass but he could hear her calling out to the Champions. He dared to look behind him, and his heart skipped a beat as he saw what had terrified Zelda.

Link had made a terrible mistake that he immediately regretted. He had led himself and Zelda into a big flat open area with grass that will easily tangle your feet. But behind him, he saw two horses easily jumping the tree he had cut down. Bokoblins rode on top of those horses and carried bow and arrows with them. It wasn't long before a Moblin broke the tree and he saw all the other Bokoblins charge into the field. Link turned around from the horrendous situation he'd found himself in and followed Zelda's lead—running as fast as he could.

He ran to the top of the crest that Zelda herself was on only a couple of seconds ago and glanced back. He ducked just in time to avoid the horizontal slice from one of the horsemen and he held up his sword, ready for them to turn back on him. But instead, the duo kept pushing forward, towards the unarmed Zelda.

Link's eyes widened but his determination did so too. He quickly unslung his shield and threw it down in front of him. He jumped on top of it and began to slide down the slope towards Zelda and the two horsemen. He knew he'd be faster than them in the short run and he was absolutely right.

He slid alongside one of the surprised bokoblins and grabbed its leg. He pulled it off the horse and heard its surprised shriek cut short as it hit the ground. He grabbed its bow and hauled himself into the saddle. Link slipped his feet into the stirrups and glanced down at the quiver tied neatly around the pommel. He grabbed an arrow and then spurred the horse harder forwards. Sadly, he had to abandon his shield in the long grass. He had to catch the other horseman before it got to Zelda.

Meanwhile, the Champions stood their watch over the entrance to the woodlands. The entrance was just a stone archway set in between two hills. The arch itself was old enough and looked like it would crumple inwards at any moment. Moss grew in the cracks and threatened to split the cracks even further.

Mipha rubbed her hands together and kept pacing asking incessantly, "should they be back by now? I think they should be back by now."

Daruk chuckled saying, "nonsense, who knows how long this'll take. They might be a couple steps away or still at the Spring."

Urbosa cut in saying, "either way we can't see through this blasted grass." She looked to Ravali, "would you fly up and see if they are close by or not?"

Ravali, who was laying in the grass spoke, "why should I? I'm not allowed in there."

Mipha rolled his eyes at the response as everyone else glared at him. She looked to the forest just in time to see a flicker of movement. It was a hot day and she has been out of water for a while, maybe her eyes were playing tricks on her. But she could have sworn she saw a tree shimmer. She stepped closer towards the archway as the others argued with Revali. Mipha squinted and she was certain she saw something. She could hear something faintly on the wind too. She was trying to place the sound when the tree she was intently looking at tipped over and out of sight over the ridge.

Mipha recoiled in surprise as she heard the sound of the tree echo in the distance. But she could barely hear it over everyone else. She turned hurriedly saying, "I think something is going on."

Daruk nor Urbosa heard her as they kept fighting with Ravali. Mipha rubbed her head as she was fed up with the bickering. She grabbed her spear and walked over towards the group. She tried to get their attention by shouting, "hey!" but they didn't respond. So instead she got close and slammed her trident down into the centre of the trio.

They all suddenly stopped and looked at her. In the dead silence, Mipha was sure that she could hear a commotion near the forest. She said defiantly, "something is happening! A tree fell over on its own! There's shouting, I think it's a fight!" Revali stood up and said, "probably just the boy practicing like always."

Urbosa looked at the distant hill and shook her said saying, "no, Mipha you're right." Urbosa raised a hand to shield her eyes from the sun as she pointed at the farthest hill. "Look! There's Zelda now!"

Daruk looked over and squinted saying, "and she is in a hurry." They all riveted their eyes on Zelda now as they all looked at her turn back towards Link. It was when she recoiled in horror and ran down the hill waving her arms that all the Champions moved as one towards her.

Link forced the horse to its limits. Luckily the horses limit was just enough to catch up with the last horseman. Link slowly slipped his feet out of the stirrups and placed them on top of the saddle. He stood up and held the bow in his left hand with two arrows in-betwixt his fingers on his right hand. He knocked one and pulled the thick bowstring back—aiming at the bokoblin who was only a few seconds away from Zelda.

The arrow exploded with energy as it shot away from Link. Its shaft bent and twisted as it split the wind on its path toward the Bokoblin horseman. Link watched the arrow travel in slow motion and watched it move perfectly to where the Bokoblin was going to be. He let out a breath he didn't realize he was holding as he saw the arrow hit its target perfectly.

The Bokoblin died instantly, the arrow piercing its heart as it had prepared to raise its sword. Zelda turned and shied away in terror as the horse drew close. She felt like she was about to die and immediately felt even more useless than ever. She was angered that this was the way she'd die. But to her bewilderment, the rider kept going. And going. And going. Then the oversized goblin slowly leaned to the side and fell out the saddle, snapping the arrow as it hit the ground.

Link leapt off his horse and stood beside Zelda defiantly. He held out his hand to get her up on her feet again. She took it and looked back at the oncoming horde of enemies, she'd never seen so many creatures of Ganon so organized before. They had stayed silent in waiting for an ambush. They'd never had tactics like that—they never showed any semblance of planning or forethought.

Link looked back to the Champions and didn't see them at the archway. He assumed they were already on their way. He cursed himself for not having a better backup plan. He grabbed Zelda's hand and began to run again, leading her towards safety. She pulled back for a second in fear. She was following natural human instinct in wanting to stay still in one area until the danger went away. It took her a second to realize that would never work and quickly followed Link towards relative safety.

They only ran for thirty seconds, that's when Link pushed Zelda forward and over a small ridge. He watched her jump with a yelp, half of surprise and half of terror, as she flew towards another patch of grass. Link stood on top of the two-foot cliff and wielded his master sword double handed. The blade began to glow brightly and he focused on the closest bokoblin.

As the horde got closer, Link sliced down one creature after another. They didn't die easily, the white bokoblins could take too many hits and produce even more. They soon forced Link to the edge of the cliff and it was the Moblin that pushed him over the edge. And t wasn't a gentle push either. Moblin's usually used large wooden clubs and could swing with the strength of a battering ram. In this case, Link was the castle door that the battering ram needed to break.

The Moblin got close and swung its heavy blunt club horizontally towards the group of bokoblins and Link. The Moblin cared little for collateral damage as it no doubt killed a couple of the Bokoblins. But it achieved its main goal and it hit Link the hardest. The force of the club made Link fly off the cliff, losing grip of the master sword as he did so.

Zelda kept running as fast as she could, which by now was reduced to fast walk but with more effort. She screamed and fell backwards as Link sailed just a couple feet above her and landed in the soft grass along with a couple dead bokoblins.

Link groaned and pushed himself up. He felt a flash of pain on his forehead and put a hand up to it. He felt an uncomfortable warmth there and he knew he was bleeding. It flowed down into his right eye and affected his vision as he scrambled forward for a rusted blade that one of the weaker bokoblins had wielded.

He stood up defiantly as he heard more footsteps in front of him and brought the sword up just in time to block an overhead swing from a bokoblin. Link tensed his forearm muscles and flicked the tip of his blade to the right. He instinctively brought his arms back towards him and prepared for a thrust as the bokoblins arms flung to the right. Link forced himself forward at the opportune moment. Even though it was more of him falling than actually lunging, he still pierced the blade into the bokoblins chest. He wheezed as his hand scrambled for the poorly made wooden shield the bokoblin had used and stood back up. He shook his head and took a second to regain his breath.

He blinked his eyes to clear them as he looked forward and saw the Moblin take a position in front of Zelda. Other bokoblins and even a couple lizals were watching and shouting encouraging the giant to take the swing that would end Zelda's legend.

Link dashed forward as fast as was humanly possible. He slid in front of Zelda as she looked up in silent horror. She scrambled backwards as Link stabbed the nearest Bokoblin through the chest. When he heaved on the sword to free it, the blade snapped cleanly in half.

Link looked at the nigh-useless blade in perpetual annoyance. He looked down at Zelda and shouted determinedly, "get out of here!" She froze up in horror as her gaze drifted behind Link towards the Moblin towering above them. She saw as it raised its massive club overhead and began bringing it higher and higher—it held the form of an executioner.

Link didn't see his incoming death; instead, he noticed the Bokoblin behind Zelda that produced a long, ten-inch dagger from its belt. Link grunted as he underhanded the broken sword at it. He had no chance of reaching the Bokoblin by stabbing it. In that case, he had no chance but to throw the makeshift dagger at the creature before it could strike.

The sword missed the creature's head and embedded itself in its shoulder. Not quite killing it, but slowing it down enough for now. Link now saw Zelda's gaze and saw the giant Moblin above him. It smirked with its long tongue killing out of its mouth as it had the club well behind its head now. Link backed up until he was standing just above Zelda and held up the small wooden shield he had found.

He got low and held the shield above his head and looked back down at Zelda. Link felt a shower of disappointment knowing that he will have failed his job and only delayed the inevitable. He knew that the force of the club would flatten him to the ground in an instant. He'd be turned into a red Hylian pancake. So much for being the greatest swordsman in Hyrule.

Either way, he looked back up defiantly at the Moblin and cursed at it, urging it to make a mistake. It only caused the beast to grow angrier and raise the club even higher. The Moblin stopped as it decided that enough was enough. It leaned forward and brought its arms in an arch downwards. The second the tip moved down, Link closed his eyes and expected a force upon his arms that would shatter every bone in his body.

But even as Zelda screamed, and Link heard the sound of the club making contact, he felt no impact. The bokoblins all fell silent as Link opened his eyes to see Daruk standing in front of him, using his shielding ability. He had taken the hit for Link, one that he'd been fully willing to make. Daruk pressed back and his protective dome exploded forward like a claymore, sending the Moblin flying back a couple meters. He turned back to Link as he collapsed to his knees in exhaustion. "You did good kid, we'll take it from here."

As he said that, Daruk turned and pulled out his massive two-handed stone cobbler. It was an immense weapon that only Daruk had the strength to use. Link fell backward and groaned as he now realized how many cuts and bruises he must have all over his body.

He gasped painfully as he forced himself back up and grabbed the dagger that the Bokoblin beside Zelda had dropped. The hilt was crooked and made of wood. The blade itself was a bone that had been sharpened and practically tied to the hilt with rope. Link forced himself up onto a knee beside her as she nestled close to him, knowing she was safer near him. However, Link didn't look down in case anything tried to sneak up on them.

Link saw Revali, Urbosa, Daruk and Mipha take on the last remaining bokoblins, which all went running towards the woods. They knew they didn't stand a chance against the four Champions and scrambled towards any semblance of safety. The Bokoblins clawed at each other as they climbed up the wooded hills away from certain peril. Revali, to surprise, chose to chase them further with Daruk as Urbosa and Mipha turned back to Link and Zelda.

Link met their gaze as he heard muffled footsteps behind them. He saw Urbosa and Mipha start running towards them shouting their names.

Link groaned as he turned towards the unknown presence behind them. He was expecting the half-dead bokoblin he'd taken the dagger from; instead, it was a Yiga member standing right in front of him.

The man said with a slithering voice, "look what we have here! A defenceless half dead champion and the princess of Hyrule." The man shook his head at their misfortune saying, "Luckily, that's just what I've been looking for."

Link spit out a mouthful of blood and spoke defiantly, "leave with your life while you still can."

The Yiga member shook his head and said, "I could have said the same to you, weakling," the bandit spit visibly as he forced out the last word. Link grit his teeth and tightened his grip around the ten-inch blade he'd taken from a Bokoblin earlier. "After you're both dead, next will be the Gerudo. Or maybe the Zoran prin-"

The Yiga man stopped talking suddenly and the words turned into gurgling as he felt a prick of pain under his jaw. He clasped both of his hands onto the blade that had suddenly appeared in the bottom of his chin as he stared at Link. Link let go of the improvised blade and watched the Yiga take a step back in horrified surprise as he held onto the dagger. Link spoke weakly, but with newfound strength, "you won't touch her." Link watched the light fade from the Yiga member's eyes as he stumbled backwards-his legs no longer able to support him. The man was dead before he hit the ground.

Likewise, Link barely had the strength to stand up and slumped back onto the gentle slope behind him. He held his eyes open weakly as his head fell to its side. He saw his sword, the master sword, lying beside him. It seemed like luck that it happened to have landed in that exact patch of grass. Link remembered when the Moblin had hit him and he mistakenly dropped his sword. He grinned ever so slightly thinking to himself— _there you are._

He reached out weakly and wrapped his hand around the hilt of the blade. He forced his eyes wider open to tried not to pass out as he laid a couple feet from the terrified Zelda. His vision was tinted red from the large cut above his eye but he blinked the blood out of his eyes. Link immediately reinvigorated his efforts into lifting his sword when the heard the rushing sound of nearby footsteps. The Master Sword dragged lazily in a semi-circle around him. Even though the hilt was lifted a foot off the ground, Link still struggled to hold the tip of the blade more than an inch off the grass. He prepared for another Yiga member to crest the hill, one that he would undoubtedly attempt to kill.

It was in his last moments before passing out, that he laid his sword arm against the soft pillow of grass surrounding him. For at that moment he saw Urbosa and Mipha cresting the hill with worried, and then surprised expressions.


	3. A Moment for Celebration

Link awoke to Mipha's face. It was upside down and Link blinked his eyes in confusion. It took him a second to realize he must be lying down and she was crouched over him.

She moved her head closer, blotting the unbearably bright sun out of Link's sore eyes. He smiled weakly as his gaze met hers. She smiled brightly at his recognition and looked up at the others, "he's awake!"

Zelda was the next person he saw. She helped him sit up along with Mipha. He coughed and noticed a spot of blood or two appear on the hand he used to cover his mouth. Mipha gasped and instantly started her healing ability over his chest again saying, "I didn't know how extensive the internal damage could have been, I'll have to keep an eye on him."

A voice spoke from behind Mipha as Link looked back up. It was Urbosa as she strode forward directly in front of Link. He saw that they were beside the main archway that served as an entrance to the Spring of Wisdom. He was lying on one of the gentle slopes beside it as Urbosa strode towards him with her usual air of confidence.

She crouched down in front of him and smiled warmly. She passed something to Link saying, "I see exactly why you were chosen for this blade." Link looked down and saw she was offering the hilt of his beloved sword. He gladly took a hold of it and rested it on his legs—Urbosa had taken the liberty of sheathing it beforehand.

Daruk stood easily above her asking in disbelief, "that's it? The kid just fought off an army consisting of horseman, archers, Bokoblins, Moblins and even a Yiga member!" Daruk smiled brightly as he praised Link.

Revali intruded on the compliments saying, "Moblin. Singular." Mipha hissed at him as he degraded the praise Daruk gave Link. The oversized chicken visibly jumped in surprise at the sudden hostility from the demure girl. Mipha looked back to Link with an expression of awe on her face.

Link rested back and said calmly, "does this mean I can get that vacation now?" He said it casually with a weak grin on his face. Zelda grabbed one of his hands saying, "You can have however long a vacation you want after that. You saved my life out there, and you risked your own."

Daruk posed bracing both his arms in front of him in a large X formation, much similar as to how Link had done when defending against the Moblin. Daruk exclaimed, "That's determination if I've ever seen it! That'll be a story that children will try to re-enact little guy." Link blinked his eyes and looked around at the others. He looked at Mipha last and held her gaze for a little longer. He gently grabbed her hand, stopping the last part of her healing process.

He was sure he was fine now, but she was just trying to be sure. Link pushed himself up and felt a touch of pain in his right hip as he applied pressure to it. He hissed at himself defiantly and stood up looking at everyone. His eyes dared someone to force him back down as he struggled to his feet. He strapped the sheath onto his back saying, "just doing my job. We're all Champions here."

There was a silence as they all looked at Link in amazement. Even though he was right, they had witnessed something they'd never see again, a magnificent display of prowess to protect someone against impossible odds. Even Revali felt that Link couldn't have done it better. But it was Mipha that emphasized it in her own mind, and eventually her own stories to young Zora children.

Zelda stood up saying with a frown, "Link, you shouldn't be standing. We've got to let you rest for a couple minutes at least."

Link waved it off saying, "there's no need. We should continue our preparation for Ganon." He took a step to go up the hill but winced and grabbed the side of his abdomen as pain flashed through it. Mipha grabbed him and forced him back down slowly saying, "But you can't hurt yourself more after such a recent fight! Your princess gave you an order."

Zelda didn't give orders to Link often. There usually was no need and they were good enough friends where he'd listen reasonably most of the time. Zelda frowned in annoyance. _Yeah, most of the time._

The Hylian princess stammered saying, "it was an ord...? oh uh, yes Link, I order you to take a breather. Make sure you're okay before we leave. Link looked softly at Mipha as she gently held him and prevented him from taking another step. Deep down he enjoyed having her arms around him but he wanted to be moving. But once he saw the concern on the other champions faces he acquiesced and sat back down onto the grass covered hill. Mipha immediately started using her healing ability again but placed her hands closer to his abdomen. He was amazed at how she always knew where he was in pain.

Zelda stood up and dusted off her clothes and looked back at the battlefield behind them. What had started as a trial to see if she could find her powers led to disappointment and one of the worst battles she'd seen.

"Rest easy little guy. There's no need to prove yourself," Daruk nodded to Link as he turned around towards Zelda.

Urbosa uttered under her breath as she glanced to the young soldier, "He already did."

They all turned to Zelda, and she stepped closer to the Champions—and away from Link. She didn't want him to try anything while they were talking. But she wasn't too worried; she knew how Mipha wouldn't let anyone get hurt while under her supervision.

She looked up to Daruk and he asked, "So... as to what happened _before_ that bloodbath…" At the word bloodbath, Zelda's eyes flashed up to Link and his prominently red clothing. She shuddered at the sight because she knew it was supposed to be green and blue.

Her eyes flicked back sadly to the Champions and she looked down disappointedly. She shook her head miserably. Urbosa sighed and Daruk looked down in a deep grievance.

Revali stood motionless and his face was emotionless. He was like a statue when it came to feeling bad for others. He spoke saying, "so you didn't feel anything? No power at all?"

Zelda held her own hands in front of her as she felt suddenly inferior. She mumbled miserably, "I'm sorry, no."

Revali sighed heavily, "that big fight all for nothing." He stepped away before Zelda could reply.

Urbosa interrupted and stopped Zelda from moving while voicing her opinion, "Then let's move on. We can try again some other day, but for now, you've done all you could. After all, it's not like your last shot was up there on Mt. Lanaryu. Anything can spark the power to seal Ganon away."

At those words, Mipha looked over and she stopped healing Link for a moment. She saw Zelda standing there helplessly. Mipha felt bad for her and how she couldn't use her powers. A metaphoric switch clicked in her head as she realized something that might work for Zelda.

Mipha looked back quickly to Link and said timidly, "I will only be a moment." She stepped down towards the group gracefully with her arms held out to the side delicately. Link thought it to be a majestic movement, even for her.

Zelda looked crestfallen as she thought about Urbosa's comment. Maybe it wasn't her last shot, maybe it was. Zelda was on the verge of giving up on everything she had worked up to. She looked up in despair to Urbosa saying, "That's kind, thank you."

Mipha stepped lightly in front of Zelda saying, "if I may..." Zelda looked over hopefully at the Zora, "I thought you... Well, I'm not sure how to put this into words... I'm actually quite embarrassed to say it. But I was thinking about what I do when I'm healing, about what goes through my mind. It helps when I think- when I think about..." she stopped and her gaze drifted off towards Link.

He was lying on his back on the grass, looking up at the sky which seemed darker to him than it should be. He noticed that the conversation stopped and looked down, catching Mipha's glance only for a second before she looked hurriedly back to the others.

She tried to pick up from where she left off, "...it helps to think about the person you care about most." Zelda looked up fully into Mipha's eyes at that. She knew that she never had any real conviction or faith in herself, but if she believed that she was protecting the person she loved most, then it might just work. She looked hopefully up at Mipha and opened her mouth to speak. But before she said anything it suddenly struck her exactly what Mipha meant.

Zelda closed her mouth and her teeth clicked audibly. She raised an eyebrow at Mipha as her pale face began to flush red. Zelda remembered in the field when the Yiga member was about to swing his sickle at her and Link how Link had killed him so swiftly. She remembered his words and realized now that he wasn't speaking about herself, but of the Zoran princess, the clan member had threatened. Zelda prominently remembered the threat being his last words. Now she understood why Link was filled with fury back in the field.

She also recalled the hiss that Mipha made towards Revali as he tried to take some fame away from Link. Or how she had chosen to stay with Link and looked over him the entire time he was unconscious. Zelda let a light smile touch her lips as she realized fully how Mipha felt.

She spoke reassuringly, "I'll try that, thank you." Mipha curtseyed politely and was about to take a step towards Link when the ground beneath them began to shake.

They all stumbled and waved their arms to keep their balance. Revali took to the skies immediately to see what was going on. The rush of air around his clawed feet as he flapped swiftly upwards almost swept Mipha's feet from under. Daruk was unaffected by the wind and just stared into the distance with a blank expression. As they could all begin to see, calamity Ganon was beginning to wrestle control for Hyrule castle. To their surprise, they saw the automatic firing of lasers from the guardians at the mass heap of shadow that enshrouded the castle and sky. The guardians slowed Ganon down and weakened him, but they couldn't do it alone.

Revali touched back onto the ground as Urbosa said, "It's here."

"This is it then," Daruk spoke as he cracked his knuckles.

Link stood up and slid down the hill and stopped between Zelda and Mipha, subconsciously stepping closer to Mipha.

Mipha spoke now asking, "are you sure?"

Revali responded, "Positive."

Zelda held onto her necklace with a quivering hand and said, "It's awake. "

Zelda took a step or two back in fright. Link stopped her and she looked back up, slightly reassured.

Daruk turned back and started his pep talk, "we're gonna need everything we've got if we are going to take that thing down! Now champions! To your divine beasts! Show Ganon how real warriors fight! Link will need to meet Ganon head on when we attack! This needs to be a coordinated assault!"

Revali looked at Daruk spoke as if Link were still unconscious, "is he really ready to face this after such a battle?"

Link frowned angrily at the Rito. He never did like Revali and he knew that the feeling was mutual. Link raised his hand up to the hilt of the Master Sword and acted out of pure spite. He stepped forward and casually pulled out the pristine blade. It glowed brighter than it ever had before and Revali's gaze was riveted on it for a second. Link re-sheathed it and nodded to Revali. The Rito nodded saying, "then you'd better get to Hyrule castle, one last fight and this _thing_ is done for." He gestured toward the swirling mass around Hyrule castle.

Mipha nodded saying, "you can count on us for support."

Daruk confidently chipped in, "she's right about that. But you've got to be the one to pound Ganon into oblivion!"

Urbosa took Zelda's shoulders in her hands and said, "come, we need to get you someplace safe."

Zelda felt useless as Urbosa said that. She was tired of not being any help to anyone. She worked for hours on end praying to the goddess Hylia but with no payout. She was fed up with being shoved into a corner for protection-she was going to stand up for herself. No more putting others in the crossfire for her own safety. She defiantly spoke out, "no! I may not be useful on the battlefield but there must be some way I can help!" Link wanted to say something reassuring but found that his tongue had suddenly gotten very dry. He was terrified of the fight that was coming and kept his lips tightly pressed together. Instead of speaking, she stepped towards Zelda and tapped on her gold necklace that draped around her neck purposefully.

Zelda stopped at Link's gesture. She felt a spark of hope, but that was all it was. She had a spark of hope without any kindling. How was she supposed to light the fire that would be the furnace to her powers?

She looked up miserably but then she saw Mipha's hopefully glance at Link and then to Zelda. She met her gaze and saw the slightest nod, to the point where she didn't even know if it was even a nod. She also saw Mipha's hands spark a magnificent blue, a signal of her powers. Zelda realized that the feelings Mipha felt in her powers weren't just a contributing factor, it was almost purely how she made it work.

Zelda stood up straight as she realized what she'd been missing this entire time. A tiny gold spark ignited in her eyes. She stood fast and looked at Calamity Ganon. "It's time to end this."

The next 24 hours went down as the largest turning point against evil in Hyrule legend. It is the day that the princess and the legendary swordsman, along with the divine beasts and guardians, had taken down Ganon. The last swing came from the swordsman himself, with the sword that sealed the darkness. It forcibly sent Ganon into exile into oblivion indefinitely.

Unknown to the heroes themselves, Ganon had not been able to achieve his true form of wrath. The guardians and divine beasts had weakened him too much. Therefore he was confined in the castle where Link met him head-on before he was able to unleash pure destruction and havoc on the kingdom.

Stories passed from kingdom to kingdom, from elders to children. Each iteration of the story became more and more deformed and the nuances forgotten about. Eventually, the fight would be limited to how "the hero"-whose name had been long forgotten- struck Ganon down in one powerful stroke.

In reality, it was a gruelling fight between Link, Zelda and Ganon. The divine beasts had injured him. Without them, Ganon would not have been imprisoned in oblivion quite as easily. But with the ultimatum given for those who serve the darkness, Ganon was sealed away yet again. Eventually, he may come back, maybe even stronger than before. But they all would have time to prepare, to muster even greater defences. Ganon would never stand a chance of regaining control of Hyrule as long as the princess and Champions lived.

There was no chance that the great evil would be able to come back himself, but many of his creatures still lived. But since Ganon was sealed, no new creatures of darkness were able to appear. Once they died, they never came back.

The Yiga clan was the prominent danger in the new golden age. They were able to pose as travellers and strike caravans at their own will. Such a large-scale destructive force that once had to wait for commands was set loose on the countryside. Many of the members were being hunted down, tracked by professionals and arrested for the capital crime of treason.

The monsters attacked at a manageable rate, and it's been decreasing ever since that day. Some say there are still camps for the strongest of those creatures—waiting for the day Ganon came back. Without instruction, they just meandered about with no objective in mind. Other groups of people say that there are camps that have not yet been discovered. But Ganon himself will eventually fall into legend, one that will always speak of the legendary swordsman, the valiant princess and the skilled Champions of the five nations. It was a day of unification and gratification that came from a common enemy. Link was the one that sealed the link between the five races on that day.

Three days after the major battle, when most of the repairs had been finished, the King held a feast in Hyrule. Everyone from anywhere was invited; even the poorest farmers were allowed inside the castle keep and given as much food as they could eat. All of the Champions came and enjoyed themselves. Races from all over came to see the spectacle that was Hyrule Castle. The giant pillars that had risen out of the ground attracted scientists like Robbie and Purah. They spent their entire time digging around for information or literally digging into the pillars.

Tables were lined with food, the art galleries filled with guests and the throne room was imbued with praise. All the Champions rejoiced in their victory, boasting themselves but mostly each other. Except for Revali that is—he still despised Link.

King Rhoame was, and has always been, an avid storyteller. He would always find him selves in amongst groups of small children as he spoke about the legendary figures of Hyrule. He playfully re-enacted moments of monstrous battles from before, and during, the Calamity. He purposefully left out the part where he had been unceremoniously shoved into a closet by his guards to hide from patrols of Bokoblins during the whole incident.

After an entire day of rejoicing, the four Champions announced that they'd be having feasts of their own in their homelands. The Calamity was an event so huge; the entire region of Hyrule had to celebrate. With a large caravan of royalty and peasants intermixed, the roads to the four other kingdoms became ridden with footprints.

Link ventured around the land of Hyrule with the King and Zelda to all the kingdoms of every victorious and eager Champion.

First were the Rito's and their spectacular dazzling flight patterns. A group of the acrobats were dressed in all white and even called themselves the 'snowbirds'. It was an amazing celebration, and the food and drink provided were worthy of any champion. The large divine beast was perched overhead and most people wouldn't stop staring at the mechanical genius of it. Of course, Purah and Robbie argued that the mass of the bird would never allow it to fly. But like a bee, it decided to fly anyways.

Secondly was the Gerudos who had a large beach-like party at Kara Kara Bazaar. They avoided the city as only half of the population would be allowed inside. But the hot spring was a much better choice for the overnight party that was planned. It was a relaxing time to spend in the hot springs after so many gruelling moments of danger. Although, Daruk wasn't able to enter the water as he risked never getting out again or drowning due to his weight. Nonetheless, he found joy in seeing everyone else rejoice in the Gerudo fashion. Urbosa danced with the other slim dancers in their own rituals and songs that went long into the night. The undulating hips of the dancers captivated their viewers for hours in their graceful movement. Mipha felt a pang of jealousy as Link watched along with everyone else.

Thirdly was the Gorons, whose main attraction and celebration were strength contests to an extreme magnitude. They would fire large cannons, toss boulders and even toss each other. Of course, they weren't able to go into Goron city due to the extreme heat. Most people couldn't get very close and they had an area set up in a milder climate beforehand. It was in a large crater that had been formed by an asteroid long ago. Even though they weren't in the hottest areas of the mountain, it didn't stop everyone from sweating like pigs. Link's cloth shirt even lit aflame at one point and had to be put out by the Gorons. But to do so, they all decided to pat out the flames; nearly breaking Link's frail back in the act of helping him.

Link couldn't help himself when the race came around. Almost every Goron set themselves up at a racetrack, including Daruk. It spiralled around the mountain and circled a couple of times around the crater everyone resided in. Link had collected a fair amount of rupees on his adventures and service to the king. He had trouble controlling his spending as he bet on race after race, losing almost every single time. The dust from the start line dissipated slower than Link's wallet emptied. Zelda had to forcibly stop him when his rupee purse was effectively halved by his spending.

Lastly, and Link's favourite, was the Zora's feast. There were long tables lined with hundreds of different types of fish, all cooked in different ways-some weren't even cooked. There were also other foods supplied, but Zora's were generally perceived as carnivores. Which no one blamed or criticized them for, fish was a commodity within easy reach for them and it was in bountiful supply in Zora's domain. Link was never really picky about what kind of foods he ate; he often ate the foods he found out the wilderness. Zelda often tried to get him to eat the most absurd things. She reminisced as she pat her full stomach on the time she had convinced him to eat a frog. She leaned to the side and held her mouth in hopes her dinner didn't come back up as she remembered he actually ate the frog.

The Zora's were avid swimmers and prominently showed off their skill similar to how the Rito's did. There were routines and exercises that they performed. The practices all required hours of training and repetition that allowed everything to be carried out flawlessly. However, people were more amazed to see formations of Zora able to swim up waterfalls at will. It was something completely unique to the fish people that everyone seemed to adore.

Zora's Domain sat above a large lake with a magnificent spire underneath the main structure. The tower went directly down into the water with a small platform at the bottom which allowed quick access upwards. Either that or a Zora could just take one of the many waterfalls to the main platform everyone stood upon.

The caravan had to travel across a large number of bridges to get here. Zelda was amazed that they had the resources to construct so many even though the Zora's never used them—it was only ever used by travellers.

The Zora's were magnificent hosts and complied easily to any of the guests' requests. Everyone slowly began to wish that they had all come to Zora's Domain first instead of the Rito's kingdom. It was a quiet place when it needed to be quiet. It also became a very loud party when everyone celebrated Ganon's defeat. This marking of victory went down in Hyrule history as the last of the celebratory meetings for the foiling of Ganon's plans. But in Zoran history, the festival was more than just a commemoration of victory, it was the start of a golden age. That day, was the day that Mipha chose her Champion—a Hylian warrior that she looked up to for years beforehand.


	4. The Gift

Zelda looked around in wonder at the contrasting silver and blue all around her. She sat at one of the dining tables in Zora's Domain. She had finished eating long ago. If anything, she was gonna be sick from the amount of fish she'd eaten.

Her day in Zora's domain was only half over. She was still amazed at the amazing festival and uniqueness of the area. She can tell why Link wanted a vacation here so badly.

Mipha noticed Zelda's nauseated expression and walked over asking, "Feeling alright?" Zelda nodded and sat up straight. She regretted it as her vision swam in circles.

Zelda spoke to keep herself focused, "I'm feeling fine thank you." Mipha nodded her fake agreement. She'd seen too many people already get sick from over-indulgence at the sight of all the food. Except for Link, he was a food vacuum with infinite capacity as he moved from table to table.

Mipha jumped back into reality as Zelda said, "This really is an amazing place to be able to live."

Mipha curtseyed politely saying with royal diligence, "I'm honoured to hear that. I assume you don't want any more food?"

Zelda shook her head quickly and looked over at her father who was telling one of his spectacular stories to some Zoran children. Zelda frowned as he picked up another piece of seared salmon.

She leaned towards Mipha said in a hushed tone, "no more for him either. He's _supposed_ to be on a diet you know." Zelda and Mipha chuckled at the king's expense—everybody had noticed he has gotten a little rounder recently.

Mipha's eye was caught by Link as he stood up to get another plate of food. He silently debated between the seared salmon or fried bass. This would be his fifth serving tonight. Mipha and Zelda both watched in bewilderment as he shrugged and took a helping of both onto his plate.

She looked back at Zelda and asked, "what about him? I would think he'd be on a diet seeing as how fit he is." Zelda raised an eyebrow at Mipha's immediate praise of Link.

Zelda replied jokingly saying, "oh him? I'm surprised he's not the shape of a giant hamster ball with the amount he eats," Zelda leaned back with a jealous frown, "I just look at food and my dress wants to burst." Mipha chuckled at her light-hearted remark. She smiled warmly at Zelda saying, "I know exactly what you mean." She drifted off as her gaze redirected back to Link.

Silence fell between the two as Mipha daydreamed. Zelda looked up about to make another joke about Link when she saw Mipha's soft gaze. Zelda followed her line of sight and saw now that Mipha was staring at Link.

Zelda cleared her throat and Mipha looked back quickly-her cheeks quickly turned redder than any of the red herons they had on the table.

Zelda leaned back slightly as she studied one of her nails, "you know, Link happened to hurt himself on our way here. It was an incident with a horse that didn't want to be led to water. I'd bet my life on saying that he's got a really nasty bruise on his chest from that." Mipha looked at Zelda with bright eyes and glanced back to Link for a second. She noticed now how he didn't bend his back much as that would tense his chest muscles. She knew something had been off. She looked back at Zelda and noticed the purposeful glare back. Zelda smiled brightly as she stood up and dusted herself off.

Zelda looked back at Mipha as she strode towards her father, "I'm not the one who told you that," She winked as she said, "have fun."

Zelda turned to the sight of her father who appeared to be re-enacting the fight between Link and the army that had attacked Zelda near the Spring of Wisdom. He must have already told the one about Ganon. Zelda rubbed her temples wondering how many stories he could manage to tell in one night.

Link was slightly bored. He had spoken to almost everybody here already and eaten his fair share. Although he still continued to eat a piece of seared salmon as he weaved through the crowd to one of the many railings.

Link looked below into the huge lake that harboured Zora's Domain. He marvelled at how elegantly the Zora was able to glide through the water. It was amazing to him how they could swim so easily and freely while he was barely able to do a breaststroke while keeping his head above the water. He remembered sourly how he almost drowned the first he tried to swim. Mipha had to help teach him and even then it took much longer than it did for anyone else.

Link took a large bite of salmon and was barely able to chew it by the time someone tugged on the back of his shirt. He turned and looked down, almost choking on his food as he saw Sidon.

He was always glad to see Sidon; he was Mipha's brother and the most optimistic being he ever knew. He didn't know if it was the joy of being a child or just the way he would act for years to come, but it spoke on multiple levels to Link. Link had come to regard Sidon as a little brother.

He kneeled down and Sidon jumped up and down excitedly asking, "did you really defeat Ganon?!"

Link nodded proudly and said, "Yup! Sent Ganon to oblivion myself! But I wouldn't have been able to do it without your sister over there." Link pointed at Mipha and Sidon glanced back at her, giving Link a rare moment to admire her for a second. There weren't many times when all eyes weren't on him. But in Zora's domain, Mipha was as much as hero as he was.

Link snapped back to reality as Sidon tapped on his shoulder and said his name. Link shook his head and looked at the small Zora inquisitively. Sidon tilted his head and asked, "Why do you look at her like that? It's... different than the way everyone else does."

Link was absolutely flabbergasted by the innocent question. He hadn't thought it was that noticeable. But here Sidon was, recognizing that Link acted differently towards Mipha than he did to anyone else.

Link stammered for a couple seconds trying to respond. He got control of his emotions for a second and asked Sidon, "Do you think you can keep a secret? Just between you and me?"

Sidon nodded and jumped saying, "oh yeah! I'm great at secrets!" Link raised an eyebrow. Somehow he didn't trust Sidon not to keep his mouth shut about what Link was going to say.

So to appeal to the child, he held up a pinky saying, "you gotta swear to it."

He'd seen Mipha do this with Sidon a lot and assumed it was something the young Zora would love to see. He was right, as Sidon immediately wrapped his tiny pinky around Link's and smiled, ready to listen.

Link blushed a little more and fought to keep a steady voice, "you might not understand this, but your sister is more of a hero to me than she is to everyone else." Sidon got all downtrodden at Link's response. It seemed at first to Link that his response wasn't good enough. He was about to speak again to clarify when Sidon spoke first.

He looked down disappointedly saying, "I already have that secret! Mipha told me that when I asked about you!" Link froze and looked back into Sidon's eyes.

He asked, "She said what?" Sidon nodded saying, "yeah she said exactly what you said. Well... not exactly… but it was close! She told me to keep it a secre- Oh..." Sidon got even more downtrodden upon realizing that he wasn't supposed to tell Link that. He rubbed the side of his head in embarrassment and looked up at Link guiltily. Link could tell that Sidon was very disappointed in himself realizing he hadn't kept his sisters secret.

Link smiled brightly and tried to contain the colour that was flowing into his cheeks. He leaned forward and put a hand on Sidon's shoulder saying, "hey buddy, don't worry about that. That'll be my secret now, and even if she finds out she won't be mad."

Sidon looked up in apprehensive fright and asked, "Are you mad?" Link chuckled lightly and looked at the innocent child. Sidon always seemed to see the world very differently than anyone else.

Link shook his head and smiled brightly saying, "No I'm not mad. No one is angry Sidon, don't worry. Actually I am quite happy you told me that. Now pretend we didn't tell each other about any of this and see if you can find King Rhoame. He's got lots of stories to tell you." Sidon immediately bounced up and down, immediately forgetting about his mistake.

He bounded in the wrong direction ecstatically shouting, "really?! Where?!" Link stood up in awe of the complete infallibility of Sidon's optimism. But before Link could call out to him or help him in the direction, Mipha stepped in front of Link.

She happened to be carrying a glass of wine and "accidentally" bumped into Link, spilling the purple drink all over his blue shirt. Link wasn't wearing the ceremonial Champion clothing at the moment and just had on travelling clothes, which he was very glad for right now. He raised his hands in surprise and looked up in stunned silence at who had carelessly ruined his shirt.

He met Mipha's eyes and saw her mouth wide open in a gasp. Link's anger suddenly faded away into reassurance as he looked at her. He closed his mouth and then smiled at her.

He waved it off saying, "it'll come out no worries." Mipha stopped and put down her glass on the nearest table. Link didn't notice that it had been completely emptied when she had spilled it on him. Mipha started forward towards him saying, "Oh god, I'm so sorry I had no idea you were there."

Unknown to Link, Mipha had fully known he was there and had purposely stumbled. Her plan had worked flawlessly and Link was left looking downwards at the stain. He pinched the side of his shirt and stretched it too see how big the stain really was. It was a large stain that would never have any chance of coming out; especially since it was made by wine.

Mipha glanced at the table she'd laid her glass on and riveted her eyes on a small cloth. She grabbed the oversized

napkin off the table and started dabbing at the stain. Link winced at the sudden pressure on his chest. He flinched as Mipha pressed down on one of the two large bruises on his chest. Mipha stopped the second she heard the sharp intake of breath—the second she knew that she could help Link.

She looked up at him without moving her head and asked, "Did that hurt?"

Link realized that he'd inadvertently tipped her off about his wounds. Link tried waved it off saying, "it's nothing don't worry about it." Mipha's initial reaction was to worry about it and Link sensed that. He slowly pushed Mipha's hand away. He hated showing weakness; especially to the girl he cared more than anything for.

Link started walking towards the makeshift stable saying, "I think I've got an extra shirt here it's okay." The Zora's had hastily set up a place for the Hylians to keep their horses during their stay. Link had everything on his horse, Epona. He wasn't sure if he had another shirt or not, but wanted to see if he did so that Mipha didn't feel bad.

He tried to take another step but was pulled back when Mipha grabbed his hand. He stumbled for a second as he turned back to the caring Zora. He looked back and she said, "Let me get you something, it's my fault your shirt is ruined anyways." Link raised an eyebrow; he would need a new shirt anyways so he may as well. But he knew there was something else going on. He had a deep down feeling that he was supposed to be following a script that Mipha never gave him.

She kept a gentle grip on Link's hand as she led him up the steps towards the more royal areas of Zora's Domain. These areas were off limits to the guests that all continued to watch the swimmers below them.

To be honest, Link enjoyed Mipha's touch and how she was just leading him to seemingly nowhere. He imagined getting lost in a random forest somewhere with her. It was in his deep labyrinth of an imagination that he got lost. He daydreamed about a life they could have one day. Especially now that he knew how she felt about him. Link was too enveloped in his own world that he failed to realize that Mipha was just leading him from one secluded area to the next. Each new path had less people, less eyes watching the two Champions.

He was jolted back to Hyrule when Mipha let go of his hand and opened up a large, blue-tinted, metal door in front of them. Link looked back confused. He saw a large spiral staircase behind him. He didn't remember coming up those and currently had no idea where they were. He frowned knowing that he had gotten too involved with his daydreaming.

Link turned around and peered inside the door. Inside it was a large bedroom; it was all decorated with silver and blue designs. The curved walls had a large scale pattern that ran vertically downwards. Each scale faded from blue to silver and seemed to sparkle as he stared at them.

Link immediately realized this must be Mipha's bedroom as he continued to let his gaze drift around. He saw a photo of Mipha and Sidon when they were even younger beside her waterbed, a bottle of common Hylian flowers that can't be found inside of Zora's Domain. Lastly was a large balcony that could oversee almost of her kingdom to-be.

Mipha had turned to his right and past her water bed, which was more like a shallow pool more than a bed, and opened a closet door. It was a large walk in closet that she quickly disappeared into.

Her voice echoed from inside of it, "you can get that stained shirt off and I'll see if I can get anyone to wash it." Link looked down and examined the stain on his shirt. He let go of it exasperatedly knowing the entire shirt was ruined. He winced as the fabric slapped painfully against his chest. He was actually glad that Mipha had noticed his pain-he didn't really want to deal with it anymore.

He looked back up out of thought as Mipha appeared in front of him. She was holding something behind her back as she looked at him with her large soft eyes. She asked as she kept what was behind her hidden, "is something wrong?"

Link shook his head with a nervous jump saying, "uh, no nothing at all." Mipha tilted her head as she studied Link. She stared with a hint of sarcasm, "well obviously something is wrong since you haven't done what I told you to do."

Realization dawned on Link. He smiled embarrassed and nodded saying, "oh right, that." He raised his arms to take his shirt off but winced with pain as he tried. He realized now how much it actually hurt. He frowned and gave himself a mental note that not every horse is always thirsty after a long ride.

Mipha was watching him pitifully and asked, "Need help?" Link squinted at her for a second; he hated to show weakness in front of others. It made him feel inferior and just made him look like a handicap. But before he had a chance to say no to her, Mipha began to help him raise his shirt over his head. She tossed it onto the table behind Link. She never really intended to get it washed. It would just end up being thrown out.

The table had a chair beside it and Link slumped down into it. There was a book on the table with a lock on the side. It was decorated with the same silver that Mipha decorated her body with.

Link looked from the book and back to her and noticed she was studying him. Mipha was lost in her daydreams this time. She'd always imagined how Link looked under all the armour, and what she was seeing matched her mental image perfectly. She always wanted to know what he was like shirtless, and she was pleasantly surprised to say the least. Although the huge two blots of purple along his sternum and rib cage didn't help the aesthetic.

Link looked down at the bruises and frowned, they'd grown much bigger than he would have expected them to. It was only a horse that had kicked him, but then he remembered how much damage a horse can do. He jumped ever so slightly as Mipha reached out and brushed his chest with her hand.

She drew it back and smiled saying, "Sorry, I'll be careful." Link smiled saying, "I know, you will." She crouched down beside Link and studied the bruises. Each one was easily the size of one of her hands and was a sickening shade of dark purple. She was amazed that Link hadn't broken any ribs from the impact. She tentatively put a hand forward, just a couple centimetres above his chest, and began using her healing powers.

She spoke to him softly saying, "no one thinks you're weak, trust me. It's okay for you to be hurt sometimes, not everyone is perfect." Link sighed, which he immediately regretted due to the inflation of his chest. He spoke reluctantly, "but I have to be the best I can. And this just feels like I'm showing weakness, and I shouldn't have to show weakness."

Mipha sighed lightly and looked into Links eyes. She lightly brushed her hand onto Link's chest. Link knew she didn't need her hand so close but he enjoyed it either way.

She said soothingly to him, "showing weakness isn't a bad thing. You shouldn't have to hide it either. It's proves you're alive, that you're someone that makes mistakes and learns from them. We saw how beat up you were after saving Zelda. You'd survived against the odds but still made a couple mistakes. That's not weakness, you were stil... are... you still are the best." Link looked up into Mipha's large gold eyes at that comment; he adored her and took the compliment straight to his heart. It was odd to think that is was only recently he found out that she feels the same way about him. It just made everything suddenly seem perfect.

Mipha was having the exact same thoughts, she felt by now that Link had some feelings for her, otherwise he would have stopped this earlier. She was already finished healing the majority of his bruises but kept her hands where they were anyways. Link breathed easily, the rising falling of his chest no longer a hinderance. Link looked into her eyes and could swear he that he saw a spark. He forgot about it almost instantly as their heads slowly drifted together with their lips slightly parted.

They met halfway, both knowing, both waiting, both of them wanting for this moment. It's hard to tell who wanted it more or who wanted it first, but they both enjoyed the feeling of each others lips more than they'd ever imagined they would.

They didn't back off right away, this moment was the one most important thing they'd been waiting for. Mipha wanted it to last forever while Link wished he could live in Zora's domain so that he'd be with her all the time.

It wasn't until a hasty knock on the door and a head poking through the crack that they reluctantly pulled away. Mipha snapped her head over angrily at the door. Link looked over with an embarrassed smile. it was one of the Kings servants, a tall slender woman who seemed much older than Mipha, which means probably 400-500 years old.

She had begun saying in an inquisitive tone, "Mipha? Mipha your father is wondering where you, went... off... to." Her sentence slowly trailed off as she realized what she'd intruded on. Mipha looked at her with a stunned expression. The woman simply just giggled and said, I'll just uh… come back later. She slowly closed the door until the lock clicked into place.

Mipha looked back to Link with her cheeks flushed and said, "Gossip spreads fast around here you know."

Link smiled and stood up with her saying, "that's not always a bad thing you know." Mipha smiled and hugged Link, resting her head just below his.

She said, "I've been waiting for this for too long." Link wrapped his arms around her tenderly saying, "me too."

They pulled away from each other after a couple moments when Mipha exclaimed, "oh! You still need a new shirt!"

Link raised an eyebrow and asked in disbelief, "you actually have clothing for me?"

Mipha grinned playfully saying as she back-peddled towards the bed. "What do you take me for? Some kind of crystal trout?" Link looked at her with a tilted head. He'd never seen a crystal trout before. Mipha looked at him in disbelief, "you know... all sparkling but they don't taste all that great... whatever."

She turned back to her bed which she had laid out two pieces of clothing. The first was a thin silk undershirt which she hastily threw to Link. He caught it as she promptly told him to put it on. He eyed it confused and put it on. Surprisingly it fit perfectly, to which he was surprised by Mipha's reaction to.

Link looked down slightly disappointed. He could clearly see through it and wouldn't want to wear just this in public. He touched the material saying, "it's a little thin..."

Mipha smiled at him warmly saying, "That's because that's only the first layer."

She turned around and bent forward to pick up the second and last piece. As she did so, Link avoided looking at her and she inadvertently revealed her backside. He looked out the balcony and noticed that the celebration was still going exactly as it had been when they'd left.

When Mipha propped back up she was holding a rigid chest piece, something that Link wasn't expecting in the slightest. He had been expecting another silk shirt or something; certainly not a piece of perfectly crafted armour. He looked at the quality of it and was amazed by the beauty and the craftsmanship for it. Mipha held her chin high saying proudly, "I made it myself along with the silk shirt! They're both the same size so this should fit you perfectly!"

Link looked at her in amazed disbelief saying, "You... made this?" She nodded excitedly and had fought to contain her excitement. On the inside she was jumping for joy at this moment as Link admired her work.

She rushed Link to put it on. Mipha had been waiting way too long for this moment and didn't want to wait another second. She even helped him when he didn't need it when slipping it over his head.

Link thought it was odd how the armour perfectly fit over his head. He brought it downwards and dropped it the last couple centimetres onto his shoulders. It was a form fitting piece of armour that felt like silk. But Link knew that the material it was made out of was stronger than any shield he'd ever hold.

Mipha stepped back to admire Link and his new Zora armour. This was something Mipha was worried she'd never get to see. She stepped forward and pulled one of the hidden straps tighter. Link involuntarily let out a breath as the armour grew slightly tighter around his chest. Mipha noticed it and frowned as she loosened it slightly. She hadn't expected it to fit him this perfectly.

Link was twisting his torso and arms to get a better look at it but to no avail. Mipha pointed him to a full body mirror near the corner of the room. Link strode over to it excitedly—he didn't get gifts often. It was a perfect fit. It had slight outlines to his pectorals and abdomen to give some space on the inside for his body structure. The shoulders had small steel-looking plates to protect his joints. The arms were made of the same blue metal of the torso. The dark blue had silver designs over it. He noticed a small dangling piece in the front. He looked down and twisted it upwards in between his fingers. He recognized it instantly as Mipha's insignia and therefore a symbol of royalty—a small, dull-tipped, replica of a lightscale trident. Link was honestly surprised at the gift.

He smiled brightly as he looked to Mipha, "I love it. But you didn't have to do this, it's too perfect." Mipha smiled and rested her head on his shoulder saying, "actually I did and very much wanted to make it. Do you know what that armour means to a Zora princess?"

Link raised an eyebrow as he turned to the side, still looking at the mirror. Mipha continued, it's a ceremonial gift given to the significant other of a princess, one that will possibly be a future husband.

Link froze and looked down slightly at the last words she said. He met her eyes through the mirror and smiled brighter than before. She immediately smiled and let go of her breath in a sigh of relief. Link hadn't even realized she'd been holding it. He looked back up and at the armour he was wearing. _A husband? Would I even be a good boyfriend?_

He was about to step down from the small pedestal in front of the mirror when Mipha put her hands around his waist from behind. She reached forward and reoriented the piece that was her insignia on the armour. She looked back up saying, "perfect." Link smiled at her and stepped down asking, "so... this is for a Zora's husband?"

Mipha jumped at the words and hurriedly said, "It's not like that! I'm not asking that you... we..." she fell silent as she scrambled for words. Her eyes searched the blank space in front of her. It made it seem as if the words she was looking for were written on the floor.

She quickly regained control of herself and said, "Zora relationships are… different... than Hylian's. I presented you with this, and it just represents the start of everything, it's just a tradition that it's just for the husbands..." she fell silent and fumbled with her own hands for a second, glancing up nervously.

Link realized what he was doing to her and felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. He shook his head and stepped forward, wrapping his hands around her. His words warmed Mipha's heart, "good, because I don't want this to go too fast, I'd never want to ruin this." Mipha stopped searching for words—she didn't want to say anything right now. Instead she just smiled brightly at her own fortune. She leaned forward in Link's embrace, resting her head against the armour she'd painstakingly created.

They broke away after a minute, getting ready to go back down to the celebrations. Mipha closed her closet doors and the balcony, cleaning up her room before meeting Link beside the arch-topped door. Mipha looked back at the room; she always liked to leave it exactly the way it was when she walked in. Her eyes stopped on the flowers on the table and she stepped towards them. She softly lifted a petal delicately and watched the flower droop back down slightly.

She sighed bitterly, "These flowers can only be found near Hyrule Castle, just my luck they happen to be my favourite." She looked back at Link with a glare filled with intent and expectation.

She spoke with a smile, "maybe you can bring some back from Hyrule next time."

He nodded and pursed his lips saying, "I'll be sure to get as many as I can, but for that I'll have to leave Zora's Domain."

Mipha scoffed saying, "as if you'd want to. You'll see how perfect it is around here." Link nodded and agreed with her words as he reached for the door knob. His hand got less than an inch away when the knocking on the door came back. Link froze for a second and looked at Mipha. He didn't expect anyone to be back so soon. She looked at him oddly and gestured to the handle. Link shrugged and twisted it, pulling the door towards him to open it.

The door itself was lighter than he'd thought. Link opened it quicker than he'd intended, scaring the royal servant that had reappeared. She jumped and brought her hands close to her chest in sudden fright at the aggressive movement. Link quickly apologized and she waved it off politely. She looked over to Mipha and started to say, "I'm sorry for interrupting earlier, the king was wondering where you had gone off... too." Her gaze had drifted back to Link, but she wasn't looking into his eyes. Instead her eyes were riveted on the armour he wore.

The woman clasped her hands around her mouth in surprise and delight and looked over to Mipha. Mipha blushed and nodded the answer to the silent question. The Zora surged forward and wrapped her arms around Mipha in joyful squealing. They both danced in circles in each other's arms. Link stood awkwardly to the side and watched as Mipha smile and her laughing grew.

Suddenly they stopped and Mipha hushed herself and the servant. They both nodded to each other and tried to recover from their joy. Mipha stood beside the slightly taller Zora woman and said, "Link, this is Laru, my personal servant."

Laru looked down brightly at Mipha and said ecstatically, "a very proud one at that! I never would have thought you'd have already found someone, yet alone a Hylian!" She looked at Link and tilted her head saying, "I hope you know that you are very lucky." Link frowned as he wasn't sure if that was a threat or a compliment.

Either way, he smiled and stepped towards them saying, "I've been lucky for years, just took me too long to realize." Mipha smiled and stepped forward, putting an arm around Link as he did so likewise. Laru covered her mouth to hide her excitement again and said, "I know I'm not supposed to speak out of turn, but you two will make a perfect couple!"

Link raised an eyebrow asking, "How do you know?"

Laru put a hand on a hip saying, "I just have a feeling that you'll treat each other right. And I've seen the looks between you two, I just didn't expect anything like this." She jumped up and down again and surged forward towards them both. She wrapped them both in her relatively large arms saying, "Everyone will be so surprised and delighted! "

Laru felt like she was forgetting something as she embraced with the young couple. It suddenly clicked and she stepped back and said, "Oh right! Mipha, your father was wondering where you had gone off to. He thinks you should be down at the party with everyone as he isn't able to. But I think he will be delighted with what you've been up to."

Mipha smiled and looked up at Link saying, "I hope so too, let's go down to him shall we?" Link nodded his agreement. On the outside he was calm and collected. But on the inside, he was suddenly fearful of Dorephan. Link was dating his daughter and has no idea what to expect from the King. Would he be slandered or appraised? Link shook in his boots as he calmly dusted off the front of the Zora armour.

Laru glanced at the armour while saying innocently, "I guess the next thing to do is meet Link's family." She smiled and tilted her head at the end of her poorly chosen words. Mipha quickly shook her head at Laru. She made quick horizontal slashes with her hand over her own throat to stop Laru from continuing. She was a little late as Laru looked down at her _after_ finishing her sentence.

Mipha looked up worriedly at Link as he froze. Mipha knew that Link had absolutely no relatives. He had known his father for some years. By know him, the most he knew about his father was that they were biologically related and that he was a knight. The rest had basically been left to Link's imagination.

It didn't help that his father had passed away during combat a year or so ago. Link was completely alone according to his family tree. The closest thing he had was Zelda who was acted as a pesky sister for the pained soldier. However, if Link was offended by the comment, he didn't show it.

He looked at Laru as he casually said, oh. I uh, I don't have any family. Laru immediately opened her eyes again in surprise. She clapped her mouth closed and her shoulders slipped downwards in guilt. She rubbed her hands nervously as she stammered, "oh, I uh... I-I didn't know, please forgive me, Champion." Link raised an eyebrow at the title. No one had called him Champion before. It was always just Link or "the hero." Link thought it odd but he waved it off politely anyways.

He was about to start walking down the steps with Mipha but stopped and turned around to the flustered Lura saying, "and you don't have to call me Champion, I doubt I'll be Hyrule's Champion for much longer." The royal servant looked back at him and tilted her head at him inquisitively. Mipha jerked on Link's arm and whispered, "Since you wear that armour, you're technically _my_ Champion. Most Zora's will call you Champion from now on-the princess's Champion."


	5. A Champion in the Making

Mipha strode into the royal hall gracefully. She had a noticeable skip in her step. Because of this, she had unintentionally got ahead of Link as they made their way to her father-King Dorephan.

She waltzed into the room, the guard just nodding to her as she passed. She had no need to confirm her identity when entering. Everyone recognized Mipha in Zora's Domain. To stop her was an insult against the crown. Luckily, the crown was never all that big on tradition and rarely took offence.

There were always guards stationed at the entrances to the throne room. It was a private room meant only for royalty.

Link watched Mipha, mesmerized by her gracefully skip. He had a hard time keeping his eyes off of the sway of her low hips. Thankfully a guard saved him from staring as he barred the entrance and placed a hand on Links chest to stop him from entering. Link shook his head and looked at the guard apologetically. To his surprise, the guard looked him up and down to see if he recognized him. Of course he knew he was Link, the Hylian champion. That status alone would have granted him easy access into the palace. But what made the guard immediately take his hand off of Link was the fact he was wearing Zora armour-a piece of armour that displayed the current princess's insignia on the front in the form of a small, dangling lightscale trident.

The guard quickly retracted his spear that barred the arched doorway saying hastily, "I'm sorry sir- Champion, I didn't realize." Link stared at the red-faced guard for a second. He was only just beginning to grasp the authority of his new title.

Link spoke reassuringly to the man, "don't worry about it. I'm gonna have to get used to this myself."

Link strode past him but felt a pang of guiltiness. He stopped and turned back saying, "And uh, thank you for standing guard while everyone else celebrates."

The guard nodded solemnly at him saying, "I don't mind, I still managed to meet one person, they just happen to hold two titles of Champion."

Link continued walking through the winding hallway, there weren't many doors and he knew where he was going, but he still felt like he could get lost at any moment. He'd lost sight of Mipha a minute ago when he'd spoken to the guard. The hallway walls were all had ridge designs on them. It was almost like a blown up fingerprint or mountains that rose out of the walls. They spiralled forward in a never ending loop making Links head spin if he tried to follow one spiral for too long. He heard a voice at the end of the hall and recognized King Dorephan's laughter.

Zelda sat down, exasperated with having to meet so many people. She wished she was able to be as intimidating as Urbosa sometimes, or maybe as gregarious as Daruk. Either way would help in dealing with so many people at one time.

Four celebrations was a maximum for Zelda. This fifth one was draining her of all her energy, even with Hylia's power. She looked up to see her father with an ever growing crowd of children who had dragged their parents along to hear stories about Hyrule and Link, even Zelda herself. He'd spoken about so many stories she swore he'd have to retell a couple soon enough. She just hoped he ever spoke of the ever embarrassing story of her birth.

Zelda continued to scan the area; people were starting to rest now—sitting down after a long meal. Their appetites were sated so they all decided to sit down and watch a couple of the swimming routines by the Zoran acrobats. These professionals kept the visitors entertained for hours. Each new maneuver generating _oohs_ and _aahs_ from the ever-growing crowd. The Zoras jumped out of the water and criss-crossed across each other's paths so often that Zelda was convinced they'd collide every time.

She jumped when Revali sat down beside her. She put a hand on her chest saying, "You scared me!" Revali grinned as he looked down at the swimmers below them. His grin slowly faded as another raindrop landed on top of his feathered head. He twitched downwards slightly at every annoying peck as he looked at the smiling Zoras.

"I can't stand the rain, I can't even swim you know." Revali gestured towards the water below them as he spoke. He looked around with the slightest distaste in his face and sighed heavily. Zelda rolled her eyes and leaned back again, closing her eyes. Revali took her discontent as a sign that she was agreeing with him.

He decided to practice his hobby of complaining, "They're exaggerating all the stories again, about all of us." Zelda sighed to convey her annoyance as she knew where the conversation would inevitably end.

"But mostly about Link?" Zelda spoke in a monotone voice as she asked the question. Revali lightened up a little as he misread her annoyance. He thought she was just as annoyed with Link as he was, when in fact she was annoyed with Revali and how he always whined about nothing yet everything. To Zelda's disappointment he continued speaking.

"All because the sword chose him, he gets to be the hero of everything. He's barely even a warrior and I could easily beat him at archery." Revali praised himself and puffed out the feathers on his chest. Zelda opened her eyes while rolling them and stayed silent. If she spoke she was worried she'd offend Revali too much, and she didn't want to deal with any drama right now. She scanned the platform again and realized she hasn't seen Mipha or Link for some time.

She heard a hearty belt of laughter come from the Royal Hall. She wasn't the only one that heard it—many of the other Zora's did too. They all looked enthusiastically up the stairs where the large palace lies. They were suddenly reinvigorated in their current task of enjoying themselves. If the King was happy, they were happy. Zelda remembered when Mipha had left and realized why they weren't back yet. She felt the slightest pang of jealousy but shook it away quickly. Zelda scolded herself as she thought about Link. _It's hard not to develop feelings for your personal bodyguard._

Revali kept being a nuisance to the Hylian princess. In fact he kept being a pain in the ass to anyone who would bother listening. He was, yet again, complaining. "Have you seen the way Mipha has been treating me? I swear, I make one comment and she will snap at me. She actually hissed at me right before Ganon showed himself."

Zelda leaned her head back until it rested against the railing. She prayed to Hylia to smite the constant smirk off of Revali's beak. She closed her eyes and whispered under her breath, "You deserved it."

Revali snapped his head over and asked harshly, "what?!" Zelda waved him off without opening her eyes saying, "nothing. Just stop complaining about Link, and she'll leave you alone."

Revali threw his hands up in despair saying, "screw her, I can say what I like. Anyways, it's not like I'll be coming back to this damp, freezing pond ever again." He immediately noticed the cold stares of any Zora within earshot. No one insulted the princess or Zora's Domain like he just did. Revali squinted angrily at the scolding faces. They didn't break their gaze and instead Revali felt annoyance where he should have felt a shred of humility. His claws clicked against the glass-like metal as he strode angrily away and pushed through the crowds. Zelda rolled her eyes and leaned her back against the railing again. She scoffed and said with a smirk, "yeah, a _real_ ladies man."

Mipha rubbed her hands nervously as her father laughed at his own joke. He did that all too often, she often saw him as too optimistic-at least he was on the outside. Mipha looked back at the hallway she had come out of. She was still waiting for Link, but continued to listen to her father rant on anyways. He made sure to keep his voice and laughter low as he was worried everyone would be able to hear him. Mipha knew very well how his voice could travel distance. She knew about many of the times people had thought there was an earthquake only to find out it was just the King expressing anger towards Mipha. She'd made many mistakes, and poor decisions she'd come to regret, when she was younger. It's been years since her father has ever been angered at her, and she's glad of the lifestyle change.

She realized suddenly how silent the room had gotten when Dorephan cleared his throat. He leaned forward and spoke more quietly directly to Mipha. He stopped himself mid-breath and looked around first since he knew how sensitive this subject was to Mipha—how she wanted it kept a secret.

He whispered, barely audible but just loud enough for her to still hear him, "has anything happened recently between you and Link? I noticed you two have gotten a little closer recently." Mipha fumbled with her hands in front of her and subconsciously pushed one foot behind her and balanced it on the toes. She looked back to the doorway she had come from and back to Dorephan, who was still awaiting an answer.

She spoke softly saying, "That's why I left the celebration for a while, I actually came here to speak with you specifically." Dorephan leaned back in his with a questioning look on his face. His eyebrows screwed together in thought and he noticed how nervous his daughter was. He rubbed his bald chin and looked at the doorway that she kept glancing towards. He was about to speak until he heard footsteps from there. He fixated his gaze on the doorway, but from his view he was so high up the person had to fully enter the room before he could see them. Mipha could already see Link—she still couldn't believe how confident yet nervous he looked wearing the armour she'd given him. She blushed and stepped towards him with her newfound skip.

Dorephan noticed his daughter moving towards the door and the footsteps grew faster and louder. He squinted at the doorway as a shadow grew, and it wasn't long until a familiar figure strode into the hall and stopped to look around. Links gaze scanned the large room he'd been in so many times before but it always managed to amaze him. His eyes met Dorephan's and he noticed how dumbstruck the Zora King looked.

Dorephan was confused on why Link had entered alone, usually he would have been denied entry without the King' consent, but no messenger had come to receive such consent. It was when Mipha got close to Link and wrapped her arms around his, turning him fully towards the throne, that Dorephan could see Link in detail.

He froze as he saw the armour that Link now donned on him, Zoran armour that Dorephan knew Mipha had been creating. He hadn't known who it had been for and silently cursed himself for being so blind about his daughter's life. He stared at the armour and the nervous shifting of the two as they stared up at him. Suddenly he felt overjoyed, he very much liked Link, and he did so even more now that he knew how Mipha felt about him. He trusted Mipha's judgement and trusted Link. He wasn't able to form words; he was worried about his voice cracking from the absolute joy he felt. All he was able to do was laugh heartily. It was a loud, long laugh and he leaned back into his seat to keep himself upright. He didn't worry about anyone being able to hear him; this was as special moment for him as it was for Mipha.

Link was terrified about the meeting with Dorephan and talking about how he was going to be with the large Zoran's daughter as her Champion. He had frozen up when he met his gaze and only relaxed when Mipha grabbed onto him and urged him silently to relax. Her touch was enough to release some of the tension he felt as he and Dorephan stared at each other for what felt like hours. He let go of his breath as the king leaned back and laughed. It was so loud and moving that it literally moved them by shaking the entire room.

Two guards rushed into the room on high alert but Dorephan waved them off as he rubbed his watering eyes. He gestured for Link and Mipha to take up the platform in front of him.

He sighed and smiled widely saying, "You know I had started to expect something about you two. I was actually just asking Mipha about it. I'm never able to get any information from Lura either.

He looked down warmly at Link as Mipha carefully guided him towards the platform. Link's hands were shaking even though he wasn't scared, he was just nervous about this meeting. He didn't understand the feeling though, he'd seen Dorephan countless times before.

He shook his head to clear it and heard Mipha whisper, "It'll be fine. I'm right here with you." He looked to his right and pulled his arm, and therefore Mipha, a little closer. He needed the comfort right now, even if he didn't know why.

Dorephan waited for them to stand in front of him and he spoke at a more manageable volume, "I'm proud of you Mipha, he's a good man. I bet he'll be even better to you than he is to any of his friends. And we all know how well he protects his friends." Link spoke clearly and confidently as he looked up to the King, "most of those stories are exaggerated, sir."

Dorephan immediately scowled at the title and said politely, "you can call me Dorephan if that's alright with you. And the fact that the stories are all exaggerated means you are well respected in all corners of Hyrule."

Dorephan paused to keep his voice steady, "although I didn't know about…erm," Dorephan gestured silently at the young couple in front of him, "this... I can't say I didn't foresee you finding someone soon, Mipha; especially after the obliteration of Ganon." He looked back to Link and the tight grip he had around Mipha's arms. Dorephan's heart felt like it was glowing as he finally got a chance to make the one dad joke he'd been waiting so long for. He cleared his throat and suddenly leaned forward, speaking ominously to Link, "What are your intentions with my daughter?"

Silence grew throughout the room as Mipha tightened her grip on Links arm and he searched for a proper way to phrase his answer. He began to stammer in saying, "my intentions are... t-to..." to be honest; Link had no idea about relationships. His intention deep down was to let it grow into his greatest passion. He wanted to be with Mipha and hear her laugh every second of his life. But deep down, he wanted Mipha to care for him more than she cared about herself. But of course, he had no idea how to phrase his feelings. He was just beginning to get an idea when Dorephan began laughing again, but not nearly as loud as last time.

Dorephan waved the question off saying, "I'm just pulling your leg son, don't worry about it. I know what your intentions are and that they are pure and good. Deviate from that path though, and there won't be any more laughing from me, or my guards." Link nodded respectfully, he didn't expect any different from the royal figure in front of him. Link also looked around and spotted a few guards loitering near the edges of the egg-shaped room. He noticed many of them snapped their gaze away from him as he almost met his eyes.

Link looked back to Dorephan saying, "of course, Dorephan."

Dorephan leaned back in his throne and smiled, half to himself and half to Link and Mipha. He was glad she'd found someone who'd treat her right, Dorephan just somehow knew that Link would never hurt her, not intentionally at least. He said clearly and proudly to Link, "then, Champion, you have my blessing. I hope that as the Champion of the princess that you will defend her and her honour as you would yourself."

Link bowed politely as he added, "if not more than myself."

Dorephan smiled and chuckled to himself. He leaned forward again saying, even better, I'll save you the, "be a good boyfriend and an even better friend," speech. Just try not to get too ahead of yourselves. Mipha softly giggled at that, fondly remembering their moment in her bedroom only ten minutes earlier.

Link looked up proudly at Dorephan and said, "Thank you for your blessing, I'm humbled for everything."

Dorephan chuckled saying, "as am I. Now, go out and enjoy yourselves, there is still a celebration. And I bet they would all love to see that magnificent piece of armour you now carry." Link pressed a hand onto the smoothed metal and a smile touched his lips as he glanced down at Mipha. He looked back up at the king and repeated his thanks.

He stepped down with Mipha and towards the main entrance of the royal hall. Link felt a warm feeling inside—he was happy… happier than he'd been in a long time. There were times when he hated his job, and times when he hated everything in his life, sometimes even himself. But in knowing that someone cares for him, a care that runs deeper than his own self-care which has kept him alive for years, made him feel invincible.

He stopped at one of the large archway that led to a large staircase out of the palace. He looked down softly at Mipha. She was barely shorter than him, but she still was and she had to glance upwards at him to make eye contact. He smiled brightly and said with a quivering voice, "thank you."

He surged forward and wrapped his soaked arms around Mipha. She slowly and tenderly embraced it and let out a sigh of comfort. She wanted to be able to make a difference in someone's life, and she knew how Link was always so desperate to help others that he had no one to help him. She was happy to be able to be able to help him, to be with him whenever he needed her.

Link broke away first after a minute. He snivelled and cleared his throat as he straightened his back. Mipha looked up at her Champion, and noticed something he'd missed. A couple drops of rain began to splash against the ground beside them as she scanned his face. She reached up and wiped away a trail of a tear from one of his eyes and rested her hand on his jaw for a couple seconds. She drew it back gracefully and slipped her arm under his and linked them at the elbows. The ground was now being splattered by rain, the skies emptying themselves onto the visitors below. She leaned against Link and asked timidly, "you ready to meet the crowd?"

Zelda was resting on one of the railings in a more secluded area of the celebration. She'd been tired out to the point of near exhaustion and just wanted to sleep. She was amazed at how long this was lasting and how more rowdy the Zora's had gotten recently. Maybe it was because of the sudden downpour, which had dampened her mood a little also. But either way, a new buzz went through the crowd as they all gossiped, and it all began when they had heard the King's laugh. They were all trying to guess what had made him do so as it is rarely heard.

Some said it was actually shouting, or that he'd yelled out in pain after accidentally prodding himself with a spear. The speculations kept getting more and more incredulous to Zelda so she just stopped listening to it all. So now she just watched the fish, and Zora, swimming peacefully below.

She looked down as a small hand tugged at the leather of her trousers. She looked down and saw Sidon standing there with tears forming in the corners of his eyes.

Zelda knew a little about Sidon and how he could get upset very easily. But Zelda wasn't as good with children as Link was. She left being a good sister to Mipha and a good father figure to Link. To think about it, she didn't leave much to herself. She stopped thinking so selfishly when she heard the young Zora snivel. Zelda crouched down, more to Sidon's height.

She asked soothingly, "what's wrong, little guy?"

He wiped an eye saying, "I can't find Mipha! Or Link." Zelda smiled a bit as Sidon added Link's name to the list of people he instinctively looked for. Zelda's heart warmed as she realized she was most likely third on his list.

"Don't worry, Sidon. They'll be back soon," Zelda put a hand out on his shoulder comfortingly.

He paced in place while saying, "I don't like not knowing where she is. I like to know where everyone is in case something goes wrong." Zelda smiled at the explanation. Such a young age and he's already trying to make contingency plans. Zelda frowned for a moment realizing they were probably the same age since Zora's aged slower than Hylian's. Zelda looked up at Sidon and held out her hand for him.

He looked at it tentatively as she said, "here, we can find a better place to wait for them to come back, is that okay?" Sidon blinked the tears out of his eyes and nodded his head quickly. He stretched forward and placed one of his small hands in Zelda's.

She led him to a mostly empty picnic-like table where the food had already been cleared off. She helped Sidon up onto the table in front of her and spoke soothingly to him. She began to describe to him Hyrule castle and its beauty. She exaggerated a few details to keep him on his toes. Or maybe it was to keep him laughing. Either way Sidon wasn't on the verge of tears anymore. She always hated to see Sidon upset as he is always so optimistic when he's with Mipha. Zelda jumped when Urbosa and Daruk sat on either side of them.

Zelda looked to either side angrily. "Why does everyone keep sneaking up on me?!"

"Because it's too easy," Urbosa said with a lighthearted smile.

Daruk chuckled saying, "oh yeah! And I'm just in too good of a mood _not_ to mess with people." The huge Goron looked at Sidon and how he sat on the table, mesmerized by the three figures in front of him. Daruk smiled kindly and held out his fist in front of Sidon saying, "hey there tiny guy." Sidon immediately leaned forward and fist bumped Daruk as Zelda and Urbosa watched with ever so slight curiosity.

As Daruk continued to distract Sidon, Urbosa spoke to Zelda quietly.

"Do you know where Mipha is? I thought it should be time some of us got some sleep and I don't want to leave without a proper goodbye." Urbosa said with an exhausted expression. Even she was feeling the effects of too many parties.

Zelda nodded to her saying, "I saw her spill some wine on Link's shirt and brought him towards the keep." Zelda gestured to the large fish tower above them. She continued, "I assume she wanted to get him a replacement."

Urbosa chuckled with a glint in her eye saying, "I'd like to see him hide that bruise from her now. Mipha always wants to be able to assist others even if she has to go out of her way to do so."

Zelda nodded and was about to speak when Daruk interrupted saying, "she likes to help even more if Link's involved." He let out a light hearted chuckle leaned back slightly. Urbosa let a smile touch her lips as did Zelda. Sidon just looked around confused but ignored it. He was about to ask a question when he glanced around the platform.

All the Zora's suddenly started hushing each other. Sidon could barely hear them above the increasing intensity of the rain above them. But he mainly saw people with a finger to their lips as they all glanced expectantly at one of the large staircases. Sidon knew that specific set of stairs went closer to the throne room than any of the others.

Zelda and the two other Champions turned around as they noticed the noise level die down. They weren't able to see what all the Zora's could. Zelda was about to get out of the bench to see what the commotion, or lack thereof, was about. That's when she looked up and saw two heads appear above one of the two staircases down to their level.

She saw Link and then Mipha, as did everyone else. Silence fell as all the Zora's looked up. They'd all heard bits of gossip and wanted to see if any of them were true. They all wanted to see if the Hylian was wearing the Zora armour. They all wanted to see if the beloved princess Mipha of Zora's Domain had chosen a Champion.

Link and Mipha continued down the stairs a couple of steps and Sidon gasped suddenly. He whispered to Zelda suddenly, "he's wearing Zora armour! It has Mipha's symbol on it!" Little did Sidon know that this was what everyone else was whispering to each other at this exact moment.

Zelda knew what the armour meant in Zora culture. However, Urbosa and Daruk sat there in confusion wondering what the big deal was.

Zelda's eyes widened as she realized now why all the Zora's had reacted so intensely to the appearance of Link and the princess as they strode arm in arm down the steps. They stopped halfway down and looked out over the silent gaze of everyone present. If someone dropped a pin Zelda was sure she'd hear it above the pounding rain. It was Sidon that broke the silence as he stood up on the table and thrust both his hands in the air enthusiastically. "Mipha has a Champion!"

In Zora society, rain was a good sign for everything. It was uplifting and refreshing and many saw it as a good omen. If a Zoran was born while it was raining, mothers and fathers all took it as a good sign from Hylia herself. So when it began to rain harder than it had in the past three years only minutes before Mipha presented her Champion, it only served as a good sign—it wasn't taken as coincidence. It only served to feed the Zora's pride in their royalty even more.

Cheering erupted like a volcano amidst the Zora. Link almost jumped when the silent faces began jumping up and down. They voiced their approval louder than anything he'd heard before; he'd be surprised if the entirety of Zora's domain wasn't shaking. Mipha stood slightly behind him, almost hiding from the people she felt so close to below them. She stepped out more into the open when they started cheering. The royal couple slowly began to walk down the slicked steps towards the huge crowd.

Everyone had moved so close to the staircase that Link didn't think they'd even be able to get off of them. Through the curtain of rain he saw Zelda, Daruk and Urbosa all staring at them.

He couldn't tell if they approved, or if they even realized what was going on. He saw Zelda clasp her hands over her mouth as she spoke quickly to the ecstatic Sidon. Daruk and Urbosa exchanged a look and a large smile landed suddenly on both their faces. They all stood up and ran over to join the mass of bodies at the bottom of the staircase. He saw them wave and Daruk give a large thumbs up with his humongous rock hands.

He smiled brighter and glanced down at Mipha. Her cheeks were so red that they almost matched the red on the top and sides of her head. She glanced up at Link excitedly and he was sure that she saw the exact same expression on his face. He looked down and towards the crowd as they got to the last couple steps.

Link and Mipha stepped down simultaneously onto the platform. The crowd gave way to give them enough room, but everyone wanted to see them both and were pushing and shoving to get closer. Link looked around embarrassingly at all the smiling faces around them. But he didn't know what to do. It was like when people sung him happy birthday, what was he supposed to do? Sit there patiently, look around at everyone? Clap along? Link gulped and just waved instead with a large smile on his face.

Mipha stood proudly beside Link and took a deep breath. She smiled brightly and looked down as someone pushed through the crowd. Sidon erupted through the legs of people and stared up to his sister in awe. He stopped in front her, stamping his feet in place and wanting to hug her immediately but managed to restrain himself for a few moments. Mipha crouched down and looked at Sidon, not knowing what to say. He spoke for her as the crowd's voice fell silent. Link noticed that even though they were silent, many still whispered and all of them were smiling ecstatically.

Sidon asked aloud, "Link is your Champion? Mipha pressed her lips together lightly, not able to trust her voice. Instead of speaking, she just nodded her head to Sidon. Mipha decided to trust her voice after all and spoke softly, "he is now."

The childish young Zora couldn't contain himself and leapt forward in a hug for his sister. He didn't know exactly what a Champion was supposed to do, but he knew it was a huge honour and historical moment. As soon as Sidon embraced with Mipha the crowd erupted with even more vigour. Link crouched down as the crowd tried not to push into the royal couple.

Link knew how big of a moment this was—for himself, Mipha and every single Zora. But he still had trouble with comprehending that his role. His heart warmed at the fact that he was Mipha's Champion. He was the one person out of everyone else that she had chosen to spend her life with. He'd never been chosen by anyone to do anything significant other than a job promotion at Hyrule Castle. He smiled from the centre of his heart to Sidon saying, "I guess you'll be seeing a lot more of me from now on."


	6. The Calm Before the Storm

Half an hour later was when Link and Mipha were able to get their first breather. The crowd was only starting to disperse as people went into their individual conversation even though they were guaranteed to still be gossiping about the new royal couple. Link felt more confident than usual, especially with Mipha at his side. Sidon stuck close with him and Mipha the entire time; he didn't want to lose them again.

It wasn't long after the crowd thinned and the initial excitement boiled down. That was when Zelda and the other Champions were able to get through. They sat on the deserted glass and shined metal benches across from Link and Mipha. No one had wanted to sit so close to the princess and her Champion in fear of embarrassing themselves or the couple. But people still looked over and gossiped, and some still lingered around to watch. Lura stayed close at hand as always and was ready for any request Mipha might have. Sidon sat on the table, asking questions that neither of them knew the answer to.

Link had his hand entwined with Mipha's as the champions sat on either side of the table with bright smiles. Link didn't want to let go as he seldom spoke yet alone having to be swarmed by so many people at once. He was glad he didn't have to do it alone though. He looked up at Zelda as she sat down last in-between Daruk and Urbosa. They sat opposite of the couple and looked directly over at them.

It was silence for some time. No one knew what to say but they were all just thinking. It was Zelda who spoke first saying, "so..." she drifted off, forgetting what she was to say. Link took a deep breath and looked at his friends.

"So." He replied casually.

Urbosa was the one who broke the deadlock by leaning forward with her hands on the table. "I had my suspicions but I honestly didn't see this coming." She gestured towards the apparel on Link and his closeness with Mipha.

Mipha smiled and blushed again saying, "All we needed was a moment." Mipha looked directly at Zelda when she said that. Link didn't realize what she meant by it and assumed she was just speaking in general. But Zelda smiled and nodded her head once to Mipha.

Daruk chuckled and said, "Oh how I'd kill to be young again. Young love is the most precious thing."

Urbosa chipped back in saying, "it really. It's something that is able to blossom in any kind of environment. I'd actually worried about this last celebration being bland after all the others, but it actually turned out to be the most eventful of them all." Mipha blushed more and pressed closer onto Link's shoulder.

Zelda looked up at the constant downpour and said solemnly, "if only the rain hadn't made the mood mellower."

Mipha blinked questioningly at her comment, "what do you mean?" Zelda raised an eyebrow at the comment. She shrugged and just gestured up to the sky blankly. Mipha looked up and realization dawned on her. She spoke soothingly saying, "Rain isn't a bad sign for Zora's. It is actually a blessing for us, a good omen for the future." She looked up at Link as she said that and he met her gaze softly.

Zelda cleared her throat apologetically and said, "Well, in that case tonight couldn't have turned out better."

Urbosa gazed behind Link and Mipha at Revali saying, "It could have for him."

Revali was by himself sitting at one of the railings. He felt happy for the couple, but was envious at his own failure for any relationships. He was also seasick—but he would never admit it to anyone. He shook his feathers to try and dry himself even just a little bit, but to no avail.

Link glanced back at Rito and said, "We should probably leave him alone for now, he doesn't look too good at the moment." Mipha agreed because she was worried that Revali might speak ill of Link, even if it was by accident. She didn't want that to happen as she often could not control herself at snapping back at him for the disrespect.

A long silence grew again as everyone began to feel awkward again, so Sidon decided to ask his beloved sister a question, "so what now?"

Mipha looked down slightly as Sidon sat up looking at her with a tilted head. She cleared her throat but stopped as she thought for a moment. She didn't quite know what was next. She got an idea and took an intake of breath to explain it. However before she could speak, Link opened his thoughts up to Sidon.

"Well now, I will obviously be spending a lot more time around here. I am the princess's Champion now, which is a big role in Zoran society. I think I speak for everyone when I saw it trumps the role of the Hylian princess's personal guard, or the head of Hyrule Castle security."

Zelda opened her mouth to respond but realized that he was right. She would be seeing a lot less of Link from now on as he would be in Zora's domain more often.

Mipha decided to let Link continue to Sidon. The little Zora sat back down politely and listened intently. Sidon decided to ask one of the millions of questions he had, "so you'll be moving into Zora's Domain?"

Link pursed his lips and said, "I think that's a great idea. Of course I will return to Hyrule tomorrow on my last escort mission with princess Zelda. I'll gather my things and come back here to spend time with you and Mipha, learning more about the customs of Zora's and what role I take on in society."

Mipha placed a hand on the side of Link's chest asking, "Do you really have to leave so soon?"

A deep voice rose up behind them saying, "Of course! He is still Hylian by nature and not _yet_ released from his duties!" The word yet was stressed heavily in the familiar voice behind Link and Mipha.

Zelda sat up straighter exclaiming, "Dad!" King Rhoame came forward and sat beside Mipha. She noticed that he jiggled a little all over as he slumped downwards. Rhoame noticed the worried look on Link's face and immediately reprimanded his previous statement. "Aw don't worry about that, you'll be honourably relieved of duty and be free to go wherever you wish, Link. As for you, Mipha," the King looked down at her proudly, "take care of our swordsman. There aren't any odds he won't go against to protect others, even if it means endangering himself."

He looked proudly upon Link; he had always felt more or less like a father to Link after his real father had passed away in combat.

The King smiled at Link, "not quite the strong, silent type anymore are we?" Link smiled at the remark but didn't respond. Rhoame chuckled saying, "a man of necessity he is, which is why I believe you wish to stay here. Well I'm proud of you, the both of you. It's not very often you see a couple so infused, so drawn together naturally." Rhoame leaned back and took a deep breath of the salty air around them. "Yes, you'll accompany us back to Hyrule where you can say your goodbyes and gather your things." Link nodded to Rhoame as knot a soldier would to his King. Link jumped as the suddenly demure Zora spoke loudly.

He looked down suddenly as Mipha asked, "May I join you? It's been a long time since I've been inside of Hyrule castle."

The Hylian King glanced down at the small princess and raised an eyebrow. Now that he thought about it; she'd only entered the premises when they were crowned Champions or during the celebrations. Rhoame frowned now realizing that it hadn't been long at all since Mipha has been at Hyrule castle. He glanced down at her and how she had her arms delicately around Link. He grinned as he saw her true reasoning.

He pursed his lips, wondering if they had enough protection for a king and two princesses. He glanced up at Link and decided that he did.

Rhoame paused for dramatic effect and then said, "I think that's a _great_ idea! Zelda leaned forward ecstatically saying, "We'd be honoured to have you, Mipha."

Urbosa suddenly realized how silent herself and Daruk had been during the entire conversation. She spoke after Zelda finished saying, "I'll have to take up a similar offer of some kind in the future. But I guess tomorrow is where we will split into our paths; at least for most of us." She glanced with a smile at Link and Mipha as she said the last part.

She stood up saying, "it's been a lovely celebration, but I think it's time that we all got some rest." Daruk stood up to take his leave but grunted in frustration as the bench wanted to follow him. He looked down and moved slowly, having to carefully slide his legs out from the benches that are made for the small Zora's.

After freeing himself, Daruk gave a clumsy salute and said, "in case we don't see each other tomorrow morning, I'm proud of you two, for defeating Ganon, and finding your own happiness. Travel safely, and beat any of Ganon's creatures into oblivion with him!" He laughed to himself as he walked off into the crowds of Zora's.

It was just Zelda and her father still with the couple. She yawned suddenly for a couple of seconds. She waved her hand over her mouth and shook her head slight afterwards. She didn't know why but her eyes always watered a little bit after a yawn.

Link saw the large yawn from Zelda. He had to fight off his own yawn a couple seconds later. He frowned and hated how contagious those things are.

He blinked lazily saying, "I agree with Daruk. Lets all get some rest before we head off tomorr... Link drifted off from the conversation as he saw a flicker of movement on one of the mountain sides. He swore that he could have made out the body of someone up there, he was sure it wasn't a wild boar, but someone wearing all black. He saw two lights that were ever so faint that he didn't know if he was just seeing things or not. But it was odd to be seeing a pair of ref lights darting amongst trees—even for his imagination.

Link snapped back to reality as Mipha tugged on his arm. He shook his head and looked down at her questioningly. She tilted her head towards Zelda and Link looked over apologetically. Link hadn't even realized that Zelda had said anything while he was staring at the mountain.

Zelda repeated her question asking, "Are you already set to move out tomorrow or do you need another wake up call?" Link tilted his head with an annoyed expression at her. He stayed silent as Zelda smiled knowing he hated being prodded about his mistakes. He had slept in the day before when they had left the Goron's village and had to hurriedly pack and get ready to leave-delaying everyone else along with him.

Zelda waved the joke away saying, "I'll take that as a no. Just make sure Epona is ready early tomorrow, I want to be able to relax on the ride back." Link nodded to her as she stood up. Zelda waved instead of saying her goodbyes and strode of towards one of the many staircases. The Zora's had guest chambers ready for everyone that intended to stay for the night. Although these rooms were meant for the VIP's of the trip; they still accommodated most of the visitors. Zelda was undoubtedly going to her own designated room.

Link spoke just before she got out of earshot, "I'll see you tomorrow morning, on time."

Rhoame grunted from the effort as he stood up. He watched Zelda leave for a moment. He should be getting to his own chambers too. His two personal guards must be falling over trying to stay awake by now. Rhoame looked down at the royal couple that was still seated.

"Try not to stay up too long, Link. Your adventure isn't quite over yet," Rhoame flicked his eyes towards Mipha, "it's only just beginning." Link nodded to him and said his goodbyes as he left towards the same staircase he and Mipha had come down.

It was just Link, Mipha and Sidon at the table now. The food had all been cleared out already which Link was slightly disappointed at. He always seemed to be able to eat, and found himself crazing a skewer of some gourmet meat and vegetables. He shook the thought away, he'd eaten enough today and he realized how exhausted he was from the constant celebrations. He looked down at Mipha who had her eyes closed as she rested her head on his shoulder. The slight rise and fall of her chest denoted the fact that she was asleep.

He looked up at Sidon whose eyelids were drooping as he sat on the table. No wonder he had stopped asking about his never-ending questions. Link looked straight up too see that the moon was already high in the sky and realized how late it really was. He looked down and sighed, he hadn't wanted this day to end but it was inevitable.

Link looked down at Mipha as she continued to rest her head on his shoulder. He shrugged his shoulder with a feather touch and whispered, "Hey, don't fall asleep yet." Her eyes blinked open slowly. They shot open as she frantically tried to remember where she was for a second. Suddenly she remembered the events of the evening and smiled. She glanced up at Link and Sidon lazily saying, "wha... oh right."

Mipha waved Lura over and yawned as she waited. She looked over at Lura as the woman bounced over. Mipha had always been envious of her endless amounts of energy. She asked her servant and dear friend politely, "Would you mind bringing Sidon to his room?"

Lura nodded and curtseyed while saying, "Of course madam." She leaned forward and gently shook Sidon to keep him awake and said, "Let's get up to bed shall we?" She looked back at Link and Mipha as she led Sidon up the stairs that led towards the front stairs of the throne room. _They'll make a perfect royal couple._ Lura shook her head as she forced the daydreaming to stop before it began.

Mipha slowly tilted lazily towards Link again as she tried to stay awake. It was all of a sudden that everyone felt tired, and much the conversation around the platform had died down as people began to leave. The pouring rain can only keep people awake for so long. Link stood up and heard his hip crack as he did so. He groaned for a second in discomfort. He shook off the feeling of grinding bones and held out his hand for Mipha saying, "I think the princess should be able to get some sleep too."

It was almost a struggle to get up the steps. Link had lived much of his life in the spotlight being the Champion for Hyrule and the princess's personal guard, but being in spotlight for too long just exhausted him. He preferred silence and often came off as mysterious at times because of it. But he was thankful as it kept people out of his business and slightly away from him. Although he doubted his solitary lifestyle would last much longer. He blinked back into reality when the door to Mipha's room came into view.

He opened it and led Mipha inside as she dragged her feet. He noticed how his feet seemed to drag along the floor as he walked also. He shook his head and strode alongside Mipha's water bed. It looked like a small pool, large enough to submerge someone's entire body in. Link knew that Zora's could breathe in the air and in the water so he undoubtedly assumed that Mipha stayed submerged the entire night. Of course he wouldn't be able to sleep in a bed without drowning. He also didn't know what being in water for such long periods could do to a Hylian.

It didn't really matter as Mipha stayed latched onto his arm even though her bed was only a couple of feet away. Link looked down at her and saw her eyes were barely open, he didn't even think she knew she was in her own room yet. She sighed lightly and her grip lessened in his hand and he knew she was gonna fall asleep at any moment. At the protest of his sore muscles, he bent down and swept the back of her knees with his left free arm.

Mipha swung up easily into his arms, she was lighter than he had imagined. Her eyes pricked open at the sudden movement and she smiled lazily at Link as she crossed her legs.

She whispered as she blinked her eyelids at him, "Am I dreaming?"

Link smiled as he lowered her into the low water whispering, "You will be soon."

Her eyes closed at the cool touch of the water. Link let her sink slowly down into it. He noticed how her smile didn't fade as she rested lightly against the bottom of the foot deep pool.

Link turned towards the chair and slumped down into it. For some reason it felt wrong watch her when she was sleeping, it was like how he felt like laughing. He couldn't think of the word at first but it popped into his head after a couple seconds. It felt like shaking weakness, except in this situation it would feel more like taking advantage of a weakness than actually showing it.

He shook his head and his hands to dry them. He looked over at the bed and could just barely see the floating piece of silk that Mipha wore to symbolize her as the Champion of the Zora's. It was made of silk so that it shouldn't slow down her swimming or weigh her down as it doesn't absorb much water. Link usually wore an overcoat that bore the colour, but it had been ruined on their way to Goron city. He looked down and remembered how drenched he was. He leaned down and took off his boots and laid them neatly beneath the chair. He sighed, getting ready to get up and go to his own room where there was a Hylian bed and comfortable feathered pillows. The thought relaxed him and he blinked to clear the sleep from his eyes.

When Link had begun closing his eyes, it was night. When he reopened them, there was daylight streaming through the windows. It was like a curtain from a dark room to morning sunlight or as if someone had wiped a squeegee over his vision from the night to transition into the morning. Link opened his eyes fully as he realized he must have slept through the entire night by accident.

As soon as he could see clearly though, he saw a pair of razor sharp teeth directly in front of his eyes. His reflexes and fight or flight instincts kicked in right away. He immediately reared back, away from the assumed danger.

He leaned back a little too far and the chair began to tip over backwards. As he felt the panic of falling, he saw the larger picture of Mipha's huge smile as she was waking him up. Her smile faded slightly and concern grew as Link fell in what felt like slow motion. He mentally laughed at his own mistake but the laugh was quickly cut short by his impact with the floor. He slid out of the chair because of his momentum—skidding a foot or two across the floor. He laid there for a second in helplessness. He placed his hands on his chest and casually said, "G'morning."

Mipha helped him up trying not to laugh and apologized for the rude awakening. Link waved it off and started dusting himself off in the mirror.

Mipha wiped some off his back saying, "well at least we're up early."

"Yeah thanks for that. Although maybe you shouldn't stand so close next time. You do have very sharp teeth you know."

"I know. Now come on, I do want to get ready to go." Link nodded, he'd almost forgotten that Mipha was coming with them back to Hyrule.

He smiled saying, "sure just let me get my boots first." Link walked over to the chair and put it back up in its original position. He looked under the desk but his boots were nowhere in sight. All he saw was the shining tiles of the floor. He heard a whistle behind him and he hung his head. He knew exactly what was going on behind him. He slowly turned to see Mipha holding his boots by the laces. She dangled them in front of her face wordlessly.

Link tilted his head and strode over towards her, reaching out to grab the laces. He raised an eyebrow at her as he got close. In a flash of movement, Mipha held her arm out horizontally behind her instead of in front of her. She purposely held the boots just barely out of reach. As she did so, she stepped forward towards Link—pressing against him. He stopped suddenly and looked down at her playful smile.

He exhaled and shook his head at her with a large smile. She tilted her head and raised herself onto the tips of her toes. She used her other hand to pull Link down an inch or so towards her and their lips met each other instantly. Link was surprised for a moment but his eyes fluttered shut after a second. He placed his hands on her hips and pulled her a little closer. Mipha giggled for a second but made her lips stayed locked with his.

It wasn't for a couple minutes that Link broke off and swiftly slid the boots out of Mipha's hand. She turned around, not realizing she'd let her guard down.

She stood in place and struck a pose with a hand on her hip saying, "you could have just asked for those you know."

"And would you have let that play out differently?" Mipha looked at him with a surprised expression. But then she blushed brightly as she turned away—refusing to give an answer. Link took her silence as a no and slipped his boots on.

He stood up and straightened the Zora armour saying, "I think it's about time we got down there." Mipha looked at him and grabbed one of her light-scaled tridents. She nodded and held out her hand for him with a grin as she said, "Then let's get going, Champion."


	7. Life of a Royal Caravan

Unlike last time, Link was actually the first one to arrive. He had to saddle his horse-Epona-and pack up the minute amount of things he had. Link never really carried much around with him—unless it was useful that is. All he needed now was to just tighten the straps to Epona's harness and grab his weapons. They'd be ready to set off on the road for Hyrule Castle.

Mipha sat idly nearby as Link finished attaching the harness and pulled tight on the strap that goes across the horse's underbelly. She noticed how he stopped suddenly as he tugged on the leather strap. He shook his head in annoyance and stepped closer to Epona. He swiftly, but gently, kicked his boot against the horses underbelly.

Epona let out the large breath she was holding. She stepped in place for a second and snorted knowing that her attempt to loosen the harness failed. Mipha didn't know much about horses. She assumed that in this scenario, if Link had just pulled the strap tight as it was now, the groomed horse would have let go of its breath and found there to be a small gap on its underbelly and the harness of the saddle. Of course that would lead to extra jostling for the rider and an easier time to buck him off. Mipha almost smiled at the thought of Epona trying to ram Link into the ground.

Mipha shook her head. She had a perpetual fear of horses. A fear that most Zora's shared with her. She reasoned to herself that it was because of their naturally short legs and arms.

Even though Mipha was almost up to Link's height, her legs were in between a quarter and a half of the height of his. Mipha suddenly found herself glancing downwards as Link tightened the strap further, of course not enough to hurt Epona but enough for the long ride to Hyrule castle. Mipha cleared her throat and looked away. She smirked sheepishly as she delved back into her own thoughts. _It goes both ways you know._

Link fastened his own chest strap that held the master sword on his back. He made sure that he wasn't holding his own breath subconsciously like Epona was. When the scabbard was on, and moved only slightly with Link's movement, he strode towards his other equipment.

He grabbed his royal knight's bow and slung it around his back. He'd already strung it earlier. Mipha looked over and saw the quiver of arrows he would undoubtedly grab next. She jumped off the small box and stretched her slightly cramped muscles. She stepped towards the open quiver saying, "Let me get this for you."

Link sub-consciously said thanks to her. After this he would be ready to travel before anyone else even got here. He marvelled in his own brilliance for a moment. However, something was burning in the back of his mind as he held his bow. It clicked and Link remembered Mipha was grabbing his arrows. He took a sharp intake of breath, turning around quickly in one fluid motion. He jumped towards her shouting, "wait don't-!"

He was cut off by a yelp of pain from Mipha as she dropped the arrow she'd accidentally touched. She let go of the quiver and it fell to the ground, revealing a dozen or so normal arrows. There were also at least 3 of any other arrow she could think of, including shock arrows. Link looked down at them in shame and finished his sentence, "...touch those."

He stepped forward to Mipha as she held one of her hands painfully against her chest. Any person in sudden pain or that feels they are in danger will huddle up. Link had seen too many injured soldiers that refused to let nurses see their arms or knees. All they would do is lie down in a fetal position—exposing as little of themselves as possible. Mipha was now holding her hand very tightly to the relatively safest place she could subconsciously think of. The sudden reaction and pain that erupted from the stimuli didn't help her fear.

Link looked down at her hand and spoke gently, "I'm so sorry, I didn't remember at first."

Mipha shook her head at him. She swallowed her fear but felt that the back of her throat was suddenly drier than the Gerudo desert. She'd never been electrocuted before. Every Zora she spoke to said that it is one of the worst experiences to go through. She looked up at Link and saw the reassurance in his eyes. She stood up slightly straighter as her confidence slowly sifted back into her. She forced to voice to steady itself, "It's okay, just scared me is all."

She revealed her hand to look at it and saw a small black splotch on her right palm. Link cautiously grabbed her hand and applied pressure in certain spots. He moved from her wrist, to her forearm and parts of her fingers around the burn. Mipha watched the movement, expecting immediate pain from all of them. Mipha didn't react to any of the pressure points except the last one which was in the centre of the burn. Link let out a sigh of relief as Mipha shot her hand back towards safety.

She looked accusingly at him for a second but Link raised his hands surrendering.

He said, "Don't worry; I just wanted to make sure there wasn't any nerve damage is all."

Mipha nodded slowly saying, "Okay that's fair, thank you. But you know I can just heal this, right?"

"I didn't know if you could use your powers on yourself or not."

Mipha thought about playfully hitting him. She regretted the word choice of playfully as she glared at her Champion. She wanted to just hit him as hard as she could right now, just for fun. She shook the thought out of her head and refrained from using her hand.

"Well of course it works on me! Why wouldn't it?"

"I don't know! I don't know where the actual healing comes from or what it scientifically is…" Link trailed off for a second as he took a deep breath before continuing, "sorry, I'll be more mindful next time." He gathered his arrows and slotted them back into the quiver. He firmly attached it onto Epona's saddle and put a cap over the end of the tube. That should stop the arrows from sliding out. It would also stop a Zora from accidentally touching them.

Even though wood was an excellent insulator, Zora's can be electrocuted through almost any material. Link felt horrible that he'd forgotten about the shock arrows he carried.

He inspected his cache of arrows to make sure it was all in order. He squinted and pulled out a single glowing, blue arrow. It was the only ancient arrow he carried while he carried three of all the other types. He slid it back in silently, those arrows were of precious commodity and shouldn't be seen by many unless he had to use it.

He quickly recapped the quiver when he heard footsteps. He got up on his toes to look over Epona's back. He saw Zelda approaching with King Rhoame. Link knew that the rest of their escort would be following behind shortly but the royal family preferred a wide girth from their security force. Link thinks it foolish and dangerous just for some privacy. However, he never disagreed as he has the decency _not_ to call his king foolish.

Zelda waved to Link and Mipha and then to her white horse. King Rhoame said a greeting and gave a short bow to Mipha who stopped healing her hand for a second to curtsey. Link stepped back from Epona to let her rest for a second. He stood back with Mipha and asked how her hand was doing. She sighed exasperatedly and stopped healing it to look. Link saw that it had fully healed over, erasing the black spot from existence.

He lightly rubbed a couple fingers over her palm just to be sure. Mipha saw an opportunity with Link's hand so close to hers. She slowly slid her hand closer to his and entwined them together. He embraced her gesture of peace wholeheartedly. She looked down at his hand and squeezed it while saying, "Good as new."

Link smiled and said, "good, because it's much harder to handle a horse with just one hand."

Mipha looked at him with an absolutely mortified expression. "I'm riding on a horse?!"

Zelda looked over at the sudden outburst and asked innocently, "You're not scared of horses, are you?"

Mipha replied as she glanced at the beast Zelda was tending to, "it's not that... it's just that I've never actually rode one before."

Link stood beside her and put his hands on her shoulders saying, "Hey don't worry, it's like learning to swim."

"You almost drowned the first time I got you to swim!"

Link opened his mouth to retort the statement. He froze when he realized she was right. King Rhoame stepped out from behind his jet black horse. The sunlight seemed to bounce off the horse's sleek coat as it stood like a statue.

The King brushed it and said, "Don't worry there are some pack horses you can ride that'll be a bit gentler."

Mipha shook her head immediately. She was going to avoid riding a horse alone at any cost. She stepped away from Epona saying, "can't I just swim?"

Zelda shrugged saying, "for the first hour maybe. But then it's either walking or horseback. And we don't have the time to waste on foot." Mipha stammered trying to find a good reason, or excuse, to not use a horse.

She never got her response out as a troop of 12 Hylian guards marched towards the stable beside the 3 members of royalty—and Link. They all began to simultaneously saddle their horses and sort their gear.

Link readjusted the bow around his back and said to Mipha, "you can ride on Epona with me."

She looked up at Link. She liked the idea of riding with someone she trusted a lot more than just being by herself. She tightened her grip in Link's hand slightly. She spoke hopefully, "two people can ride on a horse?"

Link shrugged while nonchalantly saying, "Yeah sure, why not."

Mipha's jaw dropped at his response. She let go of his hand and asked harshly, "have you even done this before?!"

Link stepped away, breaking eye contact as he said, "That's not important." Mipha stood in place as her protector walked away from her. She glanced around at the huge horses around her as they all began to shift and move to their owners touched. She crossed her arms—a common defensive instinct of any animal.

She stood there terrified as Link walked towards Epona. He grabbed his shield off a hook on the wall and debated putting it on his back. He decided against it and strapped it onto Epona's chest. The horse stood still and calm as Link did this, knowing what it was there for. The shield would protect Epona's heart from any skilled archer. Even though it had never done anything this far for them, they still used it as a contingency plan.

Immediately after setting his shield in place, Link lead Epona out of the stable as did Zelda on her white horse and King Rhoame on his black stead.

Link put one foot into the right stirrup and pushed himself up, swinging his left leg over Epona's back and into the left stirrup in one fluid motion. He removed his right foot from the stirrup and held out his hand to Mipha. He said while smiling soothingly, "Hop on."

Mipha sidled closer to the terrifying beast. She had her shoulders drawn up and her whole body was tense. It was as if she were having her photo taken for the first time. She looked up and whispered, "How?"

Rhoame let out a chuckle but hushed himself when Zelda slapped his arm.

Link kept his hand out saying, "just take my hand and put your right foot in the stirrup there." Mipha glanced down at the loop of leather and assumed that it was the stirrup. She slowly grabbed Link's outstretched hand and put her foot into the stirrup. Link continued, "Now just push off of the stirrup and swing your left leg over Epona's back."

Luckily, Link was smaller than the usual Hylian and there was always plenty of saddle behind him when he rode his horse. He had no doubts that Mipha would sit comfortably in the cradle.

She looked up at him with disbelief saying, "B-but I'm a Zora! Short legs!"

Link smiled saying, "don't worry, you'll make it." Mipha looked down and took a deep breath in preparation. She had always hated horses and purposely never rode on one before. But she wanted to prove that she wasn't weak in front of everyone else.

She pushed off the stirrup and started the swinging motion over Epona's back. The second she got into the air, she knew that she wasn't going to go high enough. She imagined herself awkwardly falling in front of everyone and immediately hated herself for even attempting this. She made a mental note that Link isn't right about everything.

Everything moved in slow motion as she was about to reach the apex of her jump. She was able to see that she wasn't going to be able to get her petite body over Epona's back. A feeling of terror swept through her body. She froze up and gripped Link's hand tighter. That's when he pulled her upwards toward him. She was surprised at the pure strength he was to be able to muster as he lifted her perfectly so that she'd land on Epona's saddle lightly.

She still felt the terror of almost missing the jump, and was too afraid to move that she barely noticed landing in the saddle. The second she did realize it, she swayed a little to the left in fright and let out a yelp. She frantically wrapped her arms around Link's torso—placing both her white-knuckles hands on his chest. She held herself close against him just so that she'd stay upright.

She couldn't hear anything over the ringing in her ears that had come from the adrenaline. Although, she could clearing feel the vibrations of Link's laughter through his armour. She grit her teeth angrily at him. She debated proving his comment about her sharp teeth but decided that was too extreme.

Instead, she just firmly lifted her arm and slammed her fist into Link's right thigh. Link stopped his chuckling but Mipha knew that he still had a dumb smile on his face as he glanced back.

She spoke angrily, "laugh at me getting on a horse again and next time it'll be three inches to the left." That threat made Link's smile disappear. It was Mipha's turn to grin even though she made sure not to loosen her grip around Link.

Zelda heard the quiet threat and laughed as she rode her horse slowly past the couple. She spoke to Link exclusively, "I'd listen to her you know. Remember last time you thought I was bluffing?" Zelda smiled grimly at Link as he shifted around nervously in the saddle. She didn't stop smirking as she wandered toward the large bridge that led out of Zora's domain.

Link's pain-stricken eyes followed her and he didn't even look at Rhoame as he strode his dark horse beside Epona.

"Did she-"

"I don't want to talk about it."

"Okay..." The way Rhoame said the word made it sound more like "oaky" or "oh key" than "okay".

Rhoame spurred his horse and cantered away with a blank expression on his face. Mipha kept her grin as she whispered, "Now, let's get going to Hyrule." Link cantered Epona slowly onto the bridge without further instruction. He urged Epona forward and signalled for the company to follow-all without a single word.

* * *

"The Hylian Company, and the one Zora, is getting to the fields now. They'll be entering the forest soon." The Lizalfos spoke with a heavy slur on the s's. The accent made it incredibly difficult to decipher the words from the incompetent speaker. However, the figure the creature was reporting to was used to hearing broken English even though he spoke it perfectly himself.

"Good. They should be sitting ducks in there."

"Ripe for the picking, I would say," the Lizalfos hissed rather unpleasantly as he rubbed his hands together. He stopped as he glanced at the dark figure in front of him. The creature barely even saw the man move as he spun on his heels. The Lizalfos barely had time to recoil before the shadow-like fist slammed into its jaw.

The creature fell backwards in surprise. It held onto its jaw as it lie on the ground—to afraid to move.

The figure turned his red eyes to the prone commander "You failed last time did you not? And I happen to recall you saying that exact same thing."

The man, who was actually shorter than the Lizal which in turn made him look more like a boy, pulled out his sword that shone with darkness so pure that it could be gazed into for hours without seeing the bottom of the pooled shadows.

He placed the tip against the Lizal's throat saying, "You will either die in that fight, or you will win that fight. Any other outcome and I will hunt you down myself."

The Lizal nodded painstakingly quickly. The creature had to be careful with any movement though, as any motion could send the sword deep into his windpipe. Tension suddenly lowered as the man re-sheathed his sword saying. The Lizalfos thank him quickly and stood up in relief. It wasn't often that someone came into the command tent and was able to walk out isn't their life.

The short Hylian turned around to look at a map strewn across his tent wall. He gazed over his shoulder at the Lizal still standing there with a blank expression. The Hylian rubbed his eyebrows in defeat. _Useless, useless and even more useless!_ He pivoted so quickly towards the creature that it looked like he had teleported.

He hissed, "what are you still standing there for?!" He stepped towards the creature and planted his foot on its torso, forcibly shoving it out of his tent. "Go get them!"

Exasperated and annoyed, the man turned towards the map of Hyrule again. "Blasted creatures," he muttered under his breath

* * *

All Mipha could hear the clicking of their horses hooves. Yet all she could feel was the constant jerking vertical motions. The only reason she able to stay on Epona was because she had her arms wrapped tightly around Link. Mipha couldn't see anything as she had her eyes tightly closed and her breathing was shallow.

Link had noticed her state and how tense she was. He had never been afraid to ride a horse, but he'd seen the fear in others before. But he had never seen anyone more afraid of a horse than Mipha.

He was reminded of this fact when Epona had to jump slightly to clear a small rock jutting out from the pathway. As soon as the horse's hooves touched back onto the ground, he heard Mipha let out a quiet, involuntary. She also clung closer to Link for a couple seconds afterwards. Link suddenly felt horrible about his earlier treatment of her and decided to make it up. He looked back as far as he could, twisting his torso in the saddle.

In a whisper he asked, "How are we doing back there?" Mipha opened her mouth to respond but let out a gasp instead as she felt Epona sidestep a foot to the left. Link snapped his head forward and calmed Epona.

He looked back apologetically and Mipha just shook her head in response to his earlier question.

Link looked around at the company around them. They were well ahead of the main group, and his line of sentries ahead of him had gotten a little closer than he liked. He reasoned that he'd just gotten too far ahead of his post and decided to stop at the top of a small slope to correct their position.

He reined in Epona who turned slightly to the left off the main pathway. As the canter slowed and eventually died down completely he looked back at Mipha. She looked up slightly without opening her eyes asking, "Are we there?"

Link shook his head _without_ laughing saying, "not yet; but we are more than halfway to Hyrule Castle. You can open your eyes."

Mipha shook her head saying, "I don't trust you." Link sighed knowing what she was going through—what he was putting her through. He took his hands off the reins and grabbed Mipha's. He had his left hand in her left hand and vice a versa.

He spoke soothingly, "Neither of my hands are on the reins, you can trust me." He noticed how white the knuckles of her fingers were and remembered how long she'd kept them pressed up against his armour.

Mipha lifted her head and relaxed her shoulders a little. It felt nice not to be as tense for a few seconds. She let her hands slide down Links torso closer to his hips to rest her shoulders. Her arms were actually cramping up from her nervousness. She slowly released various tensions in her body and resettled her rump on the saddle.

She slowly blinked her eyes open, deciding to trust Link. She did in fact trust him, but had just wanted an excuse for not wanting to look at the swaying motion that made her want to heave her breakfast onto Link's back. At first she'd actually enjoyed being able to have her arms around Link and being in such close proximity; but overtime she began to hate riding horses more and more. But nonetheless she could relax for now.

Mipha opened her eyes to the surprisingly bright daylight. She had to let her eyes adjust to the glaring light but gasped in amazement as she began to see where they were.

It was a large meadow with various hills strewn about that you could only see because of their shadows that stretched out to the east slightly. There was a trodden path that led into a small forest of trees up ahead, but for now they were in the meadow. But it wasn't where they were, or the trees that grabbed her attention, it was the fact she couldn't see any grass.

All Mipha was able to see were the white Hylian flowers that she had a vase of in her bedroom. There must have been thousands of them; she might even go as far as to say a million. Link looked around confidently and took in a deep breath.

All he could smell was the sweet flowers as he asked her, "isn't it beautiful?" He looked back to see her with her jaw wide open and staring around at the massive expanse of white that covered the grounds. To him it was a much better expression than the tense expression she had earlier.

She looked at him and said, "I don't care about the horse ride, this is absolutely worth it."

Link heart lifted as he said, "good, because I didn't like the thought of you staying mad at me."

Link looked down as Epona bent her head down to begin eating some of the flowers. Link got an idea and leaned forward and to left of Epona's neck. He accidentally dragged Mipha along with him slightly, pulling her off of the saddle by an inch. She took in a sharp breath in fear but let it out as Link slowly rested himself back into the saddle.

He looked back saying, "Sorry about that, just thought you'd want this." He held up one of the delicate, white flowers. Mipha noticed how this one had a purple centre unlike most of the other flowers which had yellow. She gently grabbed hold of it and slid her other hand back onto Link's chest—grabbing one of his hands as she did so.

"It's beautiful," she said, "thank you very much."

Link smiled saying, "it's no problem. Now, do you think you'll be good for riding a little longer before we rest?" Mipha suddenly tenses up again. She was hoping that they would be able to sit down and have lunch.

"Why don't we just rest now?"

Link smiled at the question but shook his head.

"Can't, it's too early for lunch so we wouldn't be able to stop for that unless we wanted to be out here in the open for too long. These are still dangerous roads you know." Mipha sighed, seeing his reasoning.

"Then we can stop in the forest that's okay." To her despair, Link shook his head again.

"Not in a forest—too many people can sneak up on you there. Once we are clear of the forest and find a flat area we can sit down to rest, deal?"

"Deal."

Link was about to head off when Zelda called out to them from behind. She strode up and her horse slid to a halt beside them.

She looked around in disgust saying, "too many weeds around here." Mipha looked at her in harsh amazement— wondering how she could call such flowers weeds. But she bit her tongue knowing that the flowers didn't mean much to her as she probably saw them every day.

Zelda looked at the Mipha and asked, "How are you faring? I hope you haven't hurt the driver."

"There hasn't been a need to, he's been careful the entire time."

"Good," Zelda said as she chuckled, half to herself. She began to canter her horse forward. "I bet you enjoy having your arms around him anyways."

Zelda laughed jokingly as she spurred her horse down the hill towards the group of sentries who had slowed down before getting too close to the trees. Mipha had taken a breath to retort but Zelda had danced her horse away too quickly. Instead Mipha just blushed a little and held herself closer to Link. She looked at the flower she held as Link turned slightly towards her.

"Is she right about that?" Mipha looked up suddenly at his question and she tightened her grip around him for a second. She stopped herself from stuttering while looking for a lousy excuse and loosened her grip. She ran her hands over the form fitting Zora armour. She exhaled deeply as she felt the rise and fall of Link's relaxed breathing.

She said softly, "There may have been some truth in there."

"Good. I thought it was just me."

Mipha blushed even more as she opened her mouth to respond but shut it quickly when Link set Epona to a slow canter. She quickly pressed herself against Link's body, not so much for the fear of falling of anymore, but because she wanted to be close to him. She loosed her grip slightly and felt the vibrations of Links torso and arms as he slowly brought Epona up to speed. Mipha kept her eyes open this time, looking at the flower she was holding. She glanced around at the thousands of other similar flowers that they passed. She looked straight ahead and smiled, she was enjoying this horse ride much more than she imagined she ever would.

Half an hour later, the royal party was inside of the densest part of the trees. They were barely able to see ten foot into the trees and even less through the thick shrubbery beneath it. Link had trained the warriors to stick close to the VIP's and basically form a circle around them. This was so that no one could jump out of the bushes suddenly and attack the royalty without any resistance.

Link rode just to the left of Zelda and Rhoame as they constantly chat and bickered over political affairs. Mipha paid only little attention to the talking and instead felt the eerie silence shared by Link and the guards.

Mipha spoke suddenly, and a bit louder than she intended, "Link." He looked back inquisitively at the soothing smile behind him. "Stop doing that."

He smiled ever so slightly and released the grip on the master sword along his back. He slowly took his hand away from it, but not in any way hindered by his other equipment. Link made sure that he was always ready to grab his sword at a moment of notice. He sighed heavily and looked around worriedly. These woods were dense and anyone could be easily sitting in them—hidden by the darkness.

Mipha didn't like the way Link was acting and it suddenly put her on edge. She scanned the trees timidly to see if anyone was there. She looked ahead and saw a shimmer of movement on a rock up ahead. She hadn't seen a change of colour, just a shadow moving but she could have sworn it looked like a person. She shook her head, knowing that she was seeing what her mind expected to see.

She looked back at Link and slid one hand down onto her trident. _It doesn't hurt to be prepared._ She readjusted the grip of her arm that was around him. She had her palm flat against the Zora armour that he worse as they rode. She realized that she was subconsciously using her powers and stopped momentarily.

She didn't know what prolonged exposure to it could do and worried for a second. She stopped as she got distracted Link's movement. She noticed now that Link had his hand on the hilt of his sword, easing it from the sheath ever so slightly.

A sudden noise to their left caused Link and Mipha to look over immediately. Link even pulled out the master sword slightly to reveal the blade itself. He scanned the trees carefully but couldn't see through the dense underbrush. He knew that his visibility was limited, but so was anyone's mobility if caught inside the brambles. Anyone that tried to burst out would have to make a whole lot of racket beforehand.

Link slid his hand down Epona's neck and slipped the shield off and onto his left arm. He fastened the leather strap for the metal royal shield. Instead of putting his hand on the grip for it, he held the reins to Epona.

Zelda and Rhoame had fallen silent for a moment to react to the sound but quickly started to pick their conversation back up. It was when Link hushed them harshly that the company knew something was wrong.

Link knew it was disrespectful, but he needed silence. He could hear something, a scraping of some kind. He had noticed that when Zelda had begun talking that the sound started. It also seemed too much like a coincidence that it stopped half a second after she stopped speaking. That fact had him convinced that someone was out there. And he knew exactly what the grating sound was. If Link was right, there was an archer in the trees somewhere with perfect line of sight on the moving company with its bow half-drawn—waiting for them to keep talking so that it could draw back to full without being heard.

However, there was a chance that he was wrong so he stayed his hand and would endure the consequences of being a rude guard. But when Mipha whispered to him, that's when he knew he was right.

"Link, the Master Sword is glowing."

Link looked to the right at Zelda Rhoame as they returned the stare. They both knew something was wrong now and we're looking around suspiciously at the trees around them. Link righted his grip on Epona's reins, making sure not to tug on them yet.

He pointed his entire hand forward with closed fingers. Link then moved it forward and back horizontally in a quick, darting motion. The royalty knew it was the signal of a trap, and that they were going to try to run out of it. The guards saw it too and quickly but silently communicated it to each other visually. In seconds time everyone stopped moving and stayed silent, waiting for a signal. Tensions rose as everyone rode forward in silence. The horse's hooves seemed to ring as they drummed slowly against the ground. The sounds seemed to cascade off of the trees around them. Suddenly, Link gave the signal by drawing the Master Sword and whistled loudly.

The soldiers at the front of the group spurred their horses and galloped away quickly, giving the people behind them a chance to get up to galloping speed also.

Link shouted to Mipha, "stay down!" as he instinctively stood up and swivelled his torso around. He swiftly held up his shield in front of himself and Mipha. A second later he felt the heavy thud of an arrow slamming into his metal shield. Link grunted from the force and felt the arrow stick into his shield—something that had never happened before.

Of course, he'd taken multiple arrows to his shield before and that's not what surprised him. It was the fact that someone had shot the arrow with enough force to dig and hold onto the reinforced metal. No archer before was able to have an arrow bite into a metal shield—especially a Hylian royal shield. He was forced back into the saddle from the force of it and faced forward again as Epona began to gallop away alongside Zelda and the king. Mipha clung with one hand firmly around Links chest and her right hand firmly around the handle of her trident. She was oddly focused in the time of combat, but still as scared as anyone in the heat of battle. Arrows were shot down at them from inside the dense forest but came up just short of their horses. Arrows thudded behind them, landing perfectly in the hoof prints.

Link leaned over the neck of Epona as he steadily gained on the other horses. It only took ten seconds to get out of the denser woods and into a slightly clearer area. Link glanced down at his shield in wonder as he saw the massive black shaft, arrowhead and feathers that made up the arrow in his shield. Not only was the entire thing black, it gave off a small amount of black smoke. He shook his head and focused on the road ahead of them.

As they rode without resistance to any other attacks, there was something neither Link nor Mipha noticed because of the adrenaline rushing through theirs systems. Mipha was using her healing abilities again.

She had one hand clasped directly over Link's fast beating heart and was unintentionally pouring energy into it-energy with regenerative properties. An energy that could also be stored in Zoran metals, especially the metal that Link currently wore.

As they rode on, Link's heart and armour was being used as a battery for this energy, storing seemingly endless amounts of it. It wasn't long until Link was breathing easily and steadily with a lower heart rate showing that he was keeping a cool head. Not only did he not notice this, but he felt like he was in the prime of his life.

It wasn't long before one of the guards glanced back at the horde behind them. His eyes widened as he shouted, "horseman behind us!"

Link glanced back and saw at least six horsemen following them, with surely many more behind them. There was one Yiga member mixed in with Bokoblins on the horses. Link grit his teeth and spurred Epona to even greater heights to get to the front of the group.

He saw a large tree with an abnormally small trunk to the left of the path. Its huge body hung directly over top of the path. He veered left and shouted to the guards, "follow the leader!"

Without seeing if they heard him or not, Link sidled Epona closer and closer to the side of the path the tree was on. They immediately obeyed the command word and lined up behind him as he swung his sword at the tree.

His blade sliced easily through half of the trunk, much easier than he had imagined. He veered Epona back to the centre of the path as he heard five more wooden thuds behind him. His soldiers had done well, all striking at the same tree and cutting through it enough so that it began to fall down over the path. Mipha glanced back as the creaking and cracking grew in intensity. She saw it land in front of two of the riders, causing their horses to rear and buck their riders off in fear.

The other horseman behind them however, jumped the log and kept up the chase; only being fractionally slowed down where others had been completely stopped. Mipha noted how all the riders were white Bokoblins or Yiga members. She looked back ahead and readjusted her grip on the trident- and the placement of her hand on Link's chest.

Only twenty seconds after the tree had hit the ground, the caravan saw the end of the woods ahead of them. Once they reached that, their horses would have the definite advantage over the wild horses of the Bokoblins who wouldn't have their archers to support them. Link urged the group to greater speeds and glanced around quickly.

They were only seconds from getting out of the woods when Link looked to the right at a sudden hissing sound. His eyes opened wide in surprise and he raised his shield just in the nick of time. A black shafted arrow struck into his shield, only centimetres away from the first arrow. Except this one actually tore _through_ the metal of his shield and the razor tipped arrowhead protruded through the other side—only stopping when the base of the arrowhead bit into the metal. Link's shield had saved his life. Unfortunately for him, the force of the arrow pushed Link to the left, directly out of Epona's saddle.

Mipha watched in horror as they broke out of the tree line and how Link was thrown from the saddle. Luckily the long grass helped slow his fall, but Mipha still screamed his name and tried to reach out to him in vain. She jerked forward into the saddle suddenly as Epona kept galloping. Mipha panicked and scrambled for the reins, trying to regain control of the horse.

She screamed frantically, "we have to go back!"

Zelda asked in disbelief without looking behind her, "why?!"

It was Zelda that skidded to a stop first. She wheeled her horse around and immediately sped off towards the danger they just narrowly escaped. Her sudden action was galvanized by Mipha shouting, "We have to go back for Link!"

Luckily, Link had managed to roll with the fall as he fell into the long grass. He grunted with the effort but forced himself up into a crouching position. He glanced around at his immediate surroundings.

He was in a large field with a small hill directly behind him. The forest that his company had rode out of lied in front of him. The trees shielded him from seeing much of the way of his attackers. Link tried to control his breathing, realizing how bad of a situation he was in. Whoever, or whatever, was chasing them was undoubtedly looking for him. He was about one hundred meters away from the path. He realized that he must have fallen and rolled pretty far as he saw he was around two hundred meters away from the entrance to the forest. As he looked at the entrance, he saw shadows moving closer to him.

He quickly crouched down lower as the horseman ahead him stopped and dismounted at the edge of the trees. He held his breath as he saw a multitude of Bokoblins, Lizalfos and even a Yiga member. The creatures of Ganon looked around until they saw who they were looking for. Link kept his eyes on them as they strode over towards the trees Link had been shot at from.

He stayed low to the ground and waited for a minute, knowing he was hidden in the grass for now. He wanted to see what he was up against before trying to get away. He knew that everyone else was undoubtedly on their way back to get him. That means he just needed to stay hidden until then.

Link saw a figure walk out of the trees. At first glance, it was just a shadow. After a second of staring, he could see it was the form of a man. After a solid ten seconds, Link had no inclination at all as to what he was looking at.

It was a figure dressed in all black. They had grey, translucent hair and burning red eyes. Link racked his brain, knowing he'd seen those eyes before. The figure left a trail of darkness as he strode angrily into the middle of the path and promptly stopped in front of a Lizal. Seconds later, Link saw a sword pure darkness pass through the torso of the creature. The blade didn't even stain red as it passed through the gut of the Lizalfos. The dark figure then ripped the blade out the same way it had gone in

The creature hunched over and stood for a second before toppling over sideways. It landed in a crumpled heap, throwing dust up around it. It didn't move as it lied on the ground.

The murderous figure looked around and Link recognized the visual order to spread out and search. _That's odd._ Link was sure that he was the only Hylian to have used that signal. Now that he thought about it, the figure was Hylian. Link thought to himself more and more as he continued to stare at the figure. He seemed familiar in ways that Link couldn't explain. It was the moment that they made eye contact over two hundred metres that Link knew what is was. He was staring at himself, a version that was shrouded in darkness and death. It was someone with a multitude of subtle nuances and annoying minutiae, that the only difference Link could see between them was the colors. Little did he know, he was staring at someone he would come to despise-someone who he hated more than he hated to lose. This was the man that he would come to call, Dark Link.


	8. No Champion Left Behind

All thoughts of staying hidden from Dark Link fluttered away from Link's mind. He had no choice but to try to outrun his pursuers now. He grit his teeth in preparation, knowing they had horses and he didn't.

Link immediately stood up and turned tail to run. He began scrambling up the hill as fast as he physically could. He redoubled his efforts when he heard Dark Link begin shouting at his horseman. He couldn't hear the words, but he guessed it was something along the lines of, _get him!_

Link got to the top of the hill and glanced back, getting a strange feeling of deja vu. He felt that being chased by horseman while he was on foot in an open field happened to him too often. He looked back ahead of him to see the landscape. He took half a second to evaluate his choices. There was a small crater at the bottom of the hill. He could use that for a fight, but would be screwed if archers got on the ridge. To his right was the path he would've been on if he'd just dodged the arrow instead of blocking it. Other than that it was just large open plains. The crater was his only choice.

He shook his head and threw his shield down, jumping on top of it and sliding down the hill. He gained a fair amount of distance as he sliced through the wind, jumping over rocky sections and gliding over slick grass.

But it wasn't long until the slopes evened out and Link had to run on foot. He could see the royal caravan ahead of him stop and turn around, coming back directly towards him. He knew he just had to hold out long enough. The problem was, they were far away and he wasn't sure if they had seen him or not. They wouldn't be able to see him while he was in the crater either. He squinted frustratingly knowing there was nothing he could do to alert them to his position. So for now he just kept running.

He slipped his shield onto his back and kept sprinting forward. For some reason he felt like he was able to run much faster than he ever had in the past. He wanted to reason it to fear, but his heart beat was as steady and methodical as a drummer. He felt like he could keep up the sprint for hours, or even the entire day. He felt it odd that even though he could feel the adrenaline, he was oddly calm and collected. He shook his head and pushed himself harder—he had to get to the crater before he was caught in the open. He knew the horseman would have to dismount and climb down the crater once he got in there.

But Link was never going to make it in time. He spotted a red cloud starting to appear in front of him and he cursed aloud on frustration. He hated the fact that Yiga members could just teleport around at their own will. He also hated that with Ganon's defeat, they'd gotten ten times as aggressive.

He dove for a rock just in time for two arrows to slam against it, both of them falling the ground, slightly damaged. Link picked them both up and fired one arrow so quickly at his attacker that the Yiga barely saw his death incoming. The projectile whistled through the air as it followed its trajectory.

The man threw up a hand to his neck where an arrow had suddenly appeared and he slowly fell backwards. Link grinned and turned to start running again. Link's heart pumped harder in his ears. He hated that adrenaline also brought on rubatosis. Above the sound of his heartbeat, he heard something behind him and had the sudden urge to duck.

As soon as he did, he watched a horse zip past him while the rider missed their horizontal swing with a massive longsword that would have surely turned Link's head into a decorative piece. Link swiftly swivelled to the right and shrugged the bow off of his shoulders. As he prepared his weapon, the horseman reared his horse—turning back towards Link.

He stood up straight and aimed at the heavyset Yiga charged towards him. He held up his sword, preparing to thrust it towards Link the second he got close enough.

Link drew and loosed the arrow in less than a heartbeat when the rider was just seconds away. Link watched the arrow as it travelled. It sung through the air and hit the Yiga member so hard that he was flung from the saddle backwards. The combined momentum and the arrow cancelled each other out her fell straight vertically down. The horse he had been riding continued forward. Once it realized there wasn't a need to continue running, it slowed down to a canter. It eventually stopped and bent its head down to graze on the fields full of grass.

But as the man fell with an arrow deep in his chest, he let go of his weapon and it fell towards the ground. However, Link had the reflexes of a hawk and he grabbed it perfectly before it landed beside its previous owner.

The weapon was a longsword made for thrusting at opponents from a distance. Link had no need for such a specific weapon and was about to throw it away when he spotted another rider cresting the hill that Link had just come from.

Link glanced back down at the large clunky sword he held. An idea sprinkled into his head as he tested the weight of the sword. He held it in both of his hands and held it in a thrust position.

As the rider got closer Link saw it was a simple blue Bokoblin with a spiked club. Link raised an eyebrow as he had expected a bit of a harder fight than just this. He shrugged and glanced down at the sword one last time. He wondered if the Bokoblin had ever heard of jousting.

The answer to that question didn't really matter. As soon as the Bokoblin started it's downwards swing, Link thrusted the long pointed sword towards the creature. Link's arms were jarred from the impact and he had to bend his knees to make sure he wasn't thrown back. But he managed to stay his ground as the sword passed halfway through the body of the Bokoblin.

It was lifted up from the saddle. The creature watched as its stead kept going. Its vision started fading as it felt itself falling diagonally downwards.

Link grunted with the effort of lowering the sword, unable to control the descent of the dead creature. As soon as it thudded against the ground, Link let go of the bloodied handle. He breathed easily and looked around for another opponent. He set his eyes on another blue Bokoblin horseman.

It had seen the carnage of the last charge against the young Hylian. It also saw its kin lifted from the saddle and slammed into the ground. The creature turned and ran deciding that it would rather incur the wrath of Dark Link instead of this Link.

Link felt alive. He bounced lightly on his toes and looked around for more foes. It wasn't long until he saw seven or eight Bokoblins running towards him from the other side of the crater. He spun the master sword in his hand and unslung his shield, ready to meet them halfway.

They met inside the centre of the crater. No more horses. No more archers. Just pure skill with sword and shield.

The white Bokoblins decided that instead of rushing into him right away, they should fan out to surround him. Normally Link would be worried, no one has ever faced this many white Bokoblins at once and survived.

Everyone in Hyrule knew that White Bokoblins were superior to any other and that they were some of the most skilled swordsman of Ganon's. But with Ganon gone, they just struck out at anything nearby or followed someone else's leadership they deemed was dark enough.

He turned to face the pale Bokoblins and readjusted his grip on his shield. He slammed the master sword against the metal shield shouting, "Come on! Who's first?!"

Link let out a smile as he heard footsteps behind him and saw a bokoblin in front of him move. He was filled with energy that he'd never felt before, finding new strength and speeds that couldn't be matched by anyone else alive.

Link waited for the creature ahead of him to charge him. It took only a few seconds as he continued to hear the bokoblin behind him closing in. They were both moving at the same time. The first one would attempt to clash their weapons together, forcing Link into a strength contest. As he struggled to free his weapon, the other Bokoblin would easily stab Link in the back, ending the fight before it even began.

He wasn't just going to let that happen. Link waited for the opportune moment, knowing the Bokoblin ahead of him would have to strike first. Link squinted his eyes slightly when he finally saw it.

The Bokoblin ahead of him dashed forward, thrusting his heavy spear for the centre of Link's chest. Normally, Link would parry it and ram the spearhead into the ground. But in doing so, the Bokoblin would undoubtedly let go of the weapon and grabbing Link's arms.

Link saw the movement and perfectly sidestepped out of it and grabbed the middle of the long shaft, pushing it even further along its intended path. It pulled the surprised Bokoblin that was holding it off balance. The spear itself shot forward and was forced into the chest of the other creature that had stood behind Link with its weapon raised above its head. It froze when it saw what was happening with the failed ambush ahead of it.

The Bokoblin slowly toppled over, killed instantly by the spear lodged in its heart. Link didn't even watch it fall as he turned to the creature that he was holding the bloodied spear with. Link let go and took a step back as it snarled at him. He frowned angrily and readjusted his grip on the Master Sword.

He swiftly stepped forward and thrust his own blade upwards into the throat of the snarling creature. Link twisted the blade, hearing the slicing and crushing of cartilage. He wrenched the blade free and turned to the left just in time.

He saw another Bokoblin that had gotten close as it swung vertically upwards. Link raised his shield just in time, blocking the hit from crushing his rib cage. However, the force of the hit caused the arm strap on the inside of the shield to snap off. The shield itself flung out of Link's grip-it landed in the grass a couple feet away. Link grit his teeth and stepped back for a second from the sheer force. He seemed to move so quickly that everything else slowed down. He felt his heart rate increase as energy flowed more prominently through his body. He stepped forward again and slashed diagonally upwards, swinging the glowing blade as hard as he could.

The blade sliced along the entire torso of the attacking Bokoblin, throwing it backwards and twisting its body so that it landed a couple feet away on its stomach. Link knew it would be dead within seconds and turned to face the rest of the creatures. He counted four more and held the master sword with both hands. He raised his right arm and twisted the grip in his left. The blade rose evenly and horizontally to rest of his left forearm with his right sitting parallel to the blade behind the grip. He slowly stepped with one foot over the other as the Bokoblins all began to circle him.

Link's breathing slowed down as he regained control of his adrenaline. He hadn't taken a hit so far and wasn't limited with his mobility either. However, his outfit was painted with intimidating red splotches. The effect didn't reach the Bokoblins as they attempted to stay as calm as Link.

Their large tongues lolled out of their mouths as they calculated how to best him. They knew they had the upper hand and needed a co-ordinated strike. These Bokoblins were the best in the land, and just one of them could easily go toe to toe with a royal guard, but none of them had gone against Link before. The unsettling speed and strength of his attacks off put them, but they had seen what happened to their Lizal commander when he had failed. They couldn't turn and run, they had to defeat Link or die trying.

Link however, was as solid as stone as he focused on his surroundings. When only seconds transpired, it felt like a minute to him. His heart was beating evenly and increasingly harder as it released all of the stored up energy from itself and the armour he wore. As Link continued to turn in place, keeping his eyes on his opponents, he seemed to begin glowing. His sword had always glowed at the presence of Ganon or any of his creatures, but now his amour began to glow a bright blue-the same blue as the Champions that piloted the divine beasts. The same blue as Mipha's healing abilities. Link however, barely noticed it.

The Bokoblins did, but they also knew how to play dirty. With Link continuing to turn as they circled around him, they knew that he would eventually have the sun directly in his eyes. When he did, he would be unable to see movement for a couple seconds as his eyes adjusted. That would give time for the Bokoblin directly in front of his gaze to attack, and therefore create openings for the rest of them. Link had no choice to keep turning, as if he stopped or turned the other way, they would immediately swarm him because he would need to re-evaluate his surroundings. The Bokoblin that Link set his eyes on grinned as he saw the sun glint off Link's amour as it got just inches from his eyes.

Link felt it too, and knew what was happening when the sun got a little close. But the Bokoblin ahead of him was smart. Link was turning to the left, revealing the sun slowly. If he kept that pace, it would only blind him in one eye at a time, giving him solid vision the entire time. The Bokoblin dashed to its right, causing Link to swiftly turn his head to keep track. This caused the sun to shine into both of his eyes at one time, effectively blinding him for a second or two.

That was all the bokoblin needed as it darted forward, bringing up its weapon for a devastating diagonal blow. But what the bokoblin hadn't expected was for Link's amour to shine just as bright as the sun that blinded Link.

Link held his breath as the sun blinded him. He shut his eyes for half a second to adjust and felt his heart rate spike with adrenaline. Suddenly he felt re-invigorated, filled with energy that no one had ever been able to use before.

He opened his eyes to see that a Bokoblin had closed the gap while he was blinded. But Link was confused for a second as to what it was doing. The creature had shied away during its approach, covering its eyes with a hand to avoid looking at Link. Of course the light had only lasted for a second and Link was now able to see clearly in the sun, effectively destroying the Bokoblins advantage. But now the creature stood two feet away, within easy striking distance as the others stood much farther away. Both the warriors understood this and fought for their lives.

The Bokoblin decided to go through with its swing even though it had been slowed down by its momentary blindness. Link saw the one edged sword rise and fall towards him and took to the defence. He raised the tip of the sword that was hovering above his left elbow and held it diagonally to the left. The millisecond before the blades connected, he forced all his strength into pushing his sword to the right.

The blades clanged against each other, giving out an earsplitting screech of steel as the Bokoblins blade glanced off of Link's. The creature knew that his attack had been parried and attempted to bring his weapon back up to defend before it hit the ground. The creature had been parried before, everyone had from one time to another. But it didn't expect the brutal force that Link was able to put into it. The blade actually stuck firmly into the dirt. The Bokoblin would need a couple seconds to wrench it free—a couple seconds that it just didn't have.

Link grinned as he drew back the sword and surged forward, shoving the blade into the stomach of the first of the four Bokoblins. His blade resisted the movement, but Link forced it even further through the Bokoblins body and twisted it slightly. He heard the exhalation from the creature and stepped back, drawing the blade out laterally from the Bokoblin. He kept the momentum of the blade and swung his left arm back up under it into the original position.

His body continued to turn sideways with his momentum. He let his feet slide so that he could face the closest Bokoblin more easily. But to them, it just looked like he just rotated 180 and was already in his stance.

The three Bokoblins had seen the moment they were waiting for, and had moved in to strike the moment Link was blinded. However, they were slowed down by the light also and had moved more slowly than expected. And when they had fully recovered themselves, only halfway to their mark, they saw the opportunity disappear from their grasp. They looked at each other worriedly as they knew that they could no longer use the sun to trick him anymore. But they'd gotten too close, just like the first Bokoblin of the four.

They stood in a triangle around Link as he faced them. Time seemed to freeze as they all stared each other down for a mere second. They all knew that this would be the final moment of the battle; the victor of this battle would win the entire thing. The sound of hooves beating on the grass became increasingly apparent and the Bokoblins had no choice but to attack first. But this time, instead of waiting for one person to create an opening for the other, they would all attack on sync. And that's exactly what they did.

The Bokoblin to Link's left swung vertically. The one to his right swung horizontally, making sure not to put his comrades in line of fire in case he missed. Lastly, the centre Bokoblin thrust his broadsword directly forward. All three of their refined blades would be striking a large area around Link, giving him no escape. And with no shield, Link would have to attempt to evade. He had virtually no chance in this scenario. But luckily, Link had prepared for this strategy.

* * *

Mipha gripped the reins of Epona nervously. She'd never rode a horse before, especially alone, while actually having to control it. She tried her best but had to keep beside Zelda and King Rhoame to keep Epona going straight. Luckily the horse was bright and naturally kept along the path of the horses in front of her, needing very little correction and ignoring the slight provocation from Mipha that would lead them astray. Mipha kept her trident ready at hand as they all galloped towards where Link had fallen.

Mipha looked and Zelda shouted above the drumming hooves, "anyone see him?!"

Nobody responded as they continued to search. Mipha saw a bright light come from over a hill far to their right which was followed by a loud clashing of steel. She knew it was Link and pointed towards it saying, "Over there!"

* * *

Link's eyes squinted with focus as he tensed his muscles in preparation. Unknowingly to him, he continued to use more of the energy that was stored in his body and armour-energy that would eventually deplete. Link saw the coordinated attack forming. It was something he had suspected but didn't think they would have the coordination to perform. Link grit his teeth and tensed his body when he saw the anticipation for the attack. In an action that he'd only ever done successfully once in training, he outsmarted and outperformed all three bokoblins.

Most soldiers would call Link crazy, and none of them would have attempted something that requires such skill and luck. But Link did it anyways. He turned his back all three bokoblins and leaned forward tensing the muscles in his legs. He knew the Bokoblins would surge forward in less than a second and he seemed to see everything in slow motion. The explosion of energy from his legs into the ground forced him to grunt and hold his breath. He pushed off as hard as he could; clearing the horizontal and thrust attack front the Bokoblins. Link twirled in the air and felt a slice of pain in his thigh as he reached the peak of his jump. He winced but ignored the pain, landing perfectly on his feet behind the three bokoblins.

They all turned to stare at him in horrified amazement. One Bokoblin grinned slightly, seeing a trail of blood on its blade from the vertical arch it had made. He saw a small cut on Link's right leg that drenched the clothing just beneath it red. However, it did not see the low horizontal slice that Link had started up while in the air. Link grinned as he held his right arm to the left—his elbow almost touching his chin. In one swift motion he slashed downwards at the creatures.

The blade sliced at the tough skinned ankles of two of the Bokoblins and they fell away from Link in surprise. The third one saw it coming and moved quicker than the rest, jumping over the slice towards Link. It held its blade high above its head as it sailed through the air. It swung swiftly downwards as it got closer to the ground. Link had broken the synced force and was now facing this one, lone Bokoblin.

He sidestepped, dodging the blow and slashed his blade across the back of the Bokoblin as it landed. It stumbled forward in pain and Link heard movement behind him. He leaned forward and held the master sword behind his back-anticipating a strike.

He was right and the Master Sword took the brunt force of one of the Bokoblins strikes behind him. Link rotated himself horizontally, clashing their blades together and pushed upwards. The Bokoblin with bleeding ankles stumbled as its blade seemed to bounce off of Link's back. It staggered in pain as it recovered its footing. However, Link took the initiative and slashed its wrists, forcing it to drop the sword.

Link looked to his left and jumped quickly. His body seemed to hover as his knees came level with his hips and then back down.

The second Bokoblin with bloodied feet had swung at Link's own feet, attempting to cripple him. However, link had jumped over it and the blade bit into the rough dirt below. Link's left foot landed on the blade as the Bokoblin attempted to wrestle it free-to no avail. It looked up in defeat, knowing that Link was already poised to strike. It saw Link begin to thrust his sword towards it and simply accepted the inevitable.

The Bokoblin slumped sideways; it was dead before it hit the ground. Link retracted his sword as he felt a flash of pain across his elbow. He turned quickly in anger as he looked at the first Bokoblin again as it silently rejoiced in limiting Link's mobility. Link was forced to hold the master sword in only his right hand as the Bokoblin attempted to swing again to conserve its momentum. However, it did not anticipate Link to close the distance.

Link got low and rammed his shoulder into the chest of the Bokoblin, forcing it backwards. He pushed up in a great effort with his knees, forcing the creature into the air. Link spun on the ground and flicked the tip of his sword into a horizontal arch. He felt almost no resistance, but knew that he'd slashed the creature's throat as it fell backwards in surprise.

Breathing heavily, Link turned back to the last Bokoblin as it got up. The pale beast was barely able to hold onto its sword. Something caught Link's eye and he looked to the right and saw the dark figure that seemed to be giving orders to the Bokoblins.

The dark outline of the Hylian was hard to see as the smoke that he gave off blended in perfectly to the evening sky. It was such a good camouflage that it took Link a second to realize it had a bow fully drawn and aimed at him. Link looked around desperately; his shield was still on the ground but too far out of reach. So instead he lunged forward, grabbing the injured Bokoblin by the arm and jerking it forward towards him. The sword fell out of its hand and clattered against the coarse dirt as Link shoved it between him and the black archer.

Dark Link cursed as he realized he'd shot the Bokoblin instead of Link. He stood at the top of the crater that Link was trapped in. Luckily he hadn't used another of his black arrows; he only had three more of those. He watched as the Bokoblin fell to the ground and Link standing there defiantly.

Dark Link noticed he was slightly injured. But he also noticed the Zora armour he wore. A slight pain in his heart rose from seeing the armour once again. He shook his head and pulled out a dark arrow and nocked it onto the bow string. He didn't draw the bow yet but instead looked down with content. He said aloud with a deep echo behind his words, "I don't have many of these arrows you know. It'd be easier if you just stood still."

Link raised an eyebrow; he'd never heard his own voice like that before. It was deeper on the man, and it echoed and lingered longer than he liked. He slowly stepped back towards his shield. His mind was racing; he had no idea who this man was, other than someone that looked exactly like himself but as a shadow. He also extrapolated that the man wasn't able to use many of the shadow arrows like he had when Link was on horseback. Link knew he wasn't bluffing as he saw a normal arrow strike the Bokoblin instead of a dark one. He looked up at Dark Link, not fully knowing what to do.

He asked not-so-calmly, "who are you?!"

Dark Link grinned maniacally saying, "I'm your assassin."

He continued stating, "I'm here to end you and anyone else who would choose to stand in the way of Ganon's reign," He grinned as he said, "I think I'll start with the Zora." He knew those words would burrow deep into Link's spirit and aggravate him.

Dark Link was right in that assumption as Link's anger boiled over. He forced himself not show it but instead contained it. He thought about Mipha and imagined this version of himself stalking her. Hunting her like an elk. He shook his head and grit his teeth in fury. The pain in his arm and thigh faded as he continued to unknowingly use the energy Mipha had stored in his body. He began to feel fatigued-the energy was bordering on its reserves.

Dark Link watched Link, intrigued by the sudden glowing. He'd seen the master sword glowing which he had assumed it would. But he did not expect the amour to glow. He watched in confusion as the wounds that Link had on the inside of his elbow and thigh healed by themselves.

Dark Link said under his breath, "that's new."

He shook his head and looked down at the mirror or himself with disdain. Such wasted potential.

Dark Link realized he was wasting time when he saw a troop of horses get to the top of a nearby hill and begin racing towards them. He looked down at Link again and drew the bow to full draw, aimed, and loosed the arrow in less than a second.

Link was surprised by the speed he'd never seen in anyone but himself and knew he'd never be able to reach for the shield. In fact he didn't have anytime to react as the arrow streaked towards him, leaving a trail along its flat trajectory. He watched in slow motion a it got close to him, about to pierce his armour and he knew that he would be dead soon.

To his delighted surprise, his armour began to glow again, using the last little bit of energy that it contained and the arrow seemed to evaporate at it got closer to the armour. It disintegrated into nothingness starting with the arrow head, the shaft and finally with the feathered fletchings. Link looked up in amazed confusion and Dark Link lowered the bow in confused anger.

He cursed to himself and said slightly louder than intended, "i only have two of these left." He looked back to horseman as they drew nearer. He noticed the young Zora on top of the horse he had owned long ago. He tempted himself to attack them now but decided against it, he'd just get himself killed and have barely made any change. He looked back down at Link and gave an improper salute saying, "another day, hero."

Mipha thrust her trident forward at the dark figure but to her amazement he disintegrated downwards into the ground-disappearing completely. Epona galloped past but curtly stopped along with the rest of the horses as they drew to the edge of the crater. Link looked around and saw the seven bodies of the defeated bokoblins and fell backwards exhausted. He landed on his rump and just stayed sitting down, looking up at everyone while trying to regain his breath. He looked up through the sweat that seeped into his eyes and smirk grew on his exhausted face.

"What took so long?"


	9. Ends to a Perilous Trail

Mipha kept looking over Link; checking for any injuries. He finished his explanation of what happened and held up his shield. The two shadow-like arrows were still protruding from it. One of his most trusted guards took it from Link.

He inspected it and asked in stunned disbelief, "it went through the shield? Is the shooter even human?" Link shrugged and looked down and gently grabbed Mipha's hand.

He said to her saying, "you can stop, I'm fine."

She stood up before he could saying, "there is no way you are _fine_. You stood up by yourself against seven white Bokoblins and you have bloodstains that could have only come from your wounds."

Link waved it off while nonchalantly saying, "So I got a couple cuts, so what?"

Mipha repeated in astonishment, "so what?! They healed themselves! The armour is completely fixed where it should be cut! Something happened that either you don't know about, or you won't tell us." Link opened his mouth to respond but winced as his jaw muscles cried at him to stop. He noticed now that all of his muscles were aching and he felt exhausted. He'd never felt more tired in his life.

He rubbed his head saying, "actually there is one thing. During that fight, and even part of the horse ride, I felt like I had more energy than I should. I was able to move quicker, accomplish maneuvers that shouldn't even be possible." Link looked down and placed a hand on his chest. "I think the armour actually glowed for a moment."

"Like a flash of light?"

Link nodded to her question, not wanting to have to speak. He inadvertently tilted back and had to sit back down.

Mipha crouched down beside him saying, "And you suddenly feel exhausted, more than you usually do after a fight."

Link looked up at her in suspicion. He spoke slowly, "yeah... how'd you know that?" Before Mipha could reason her thinking, Zelda called them over.

She was inspecting the soft dirt that rode around the edges of the crater. She was pointing at two footprints.

She rubbed her chin and voiced her thoughts, "these look familiar, but I can't tell why. Any guesses?"

She looked back at her father and Mipha. Link tried to rise but almost fell onto his side, needing Mipha to help him stand up.

He lazily hobbled over saying, "I know why." He got beside the prints and stepped onto the soft dirt beside them. He pressed his foot down evenly and then stepped back saying, "They're my boot prints."

Zelda looked down while apologetically saying, "Oh. I didn't realize you'd come this way when getting out of the crater."

Mipha looked around saying, "uhm… He didn't."

Link blinked his eyes open saying, "I've said it before; I saw myself standing there. It was a shadow-like version of myself."

Zelda shook her head saying, "That's impossible."

"I saw him up close, it was like an exact copy of Link," Mipha spoke as she started to realize how heavy Link really was.

Zelda refused the thought by shaking her head. "It's not possible to make a copy of a person." Mipha and Link were about to argue with Zelda when King Rhoame stepped in.

He spoke ominously saying, "Oh it was Link alright. Except no one knows why he's here, how he exists or where he even comes from. What we do know is that his name is Dark Link."

Everyone fell silent and looked at him in questioning. He waved his hands to stave off the stares and turned to walk away towards his horse. He said, "I'll explain it back at Hyrule castle where I can get Purah's advice on this. For now let's just make sure we get back to Hyrule safely." Zelda stepped angrily towards her father as he finished speaking.

"You knew about this?! Why didn't you tell us?!" Rhoame didn't respond to Zelda or even react to her outburst—he just strode towards his awaiting horse. Zelda looked back to Link and Mipha and shrugged helplessly saying, "I guess we'll have to wait for an answer."

Mipha nodded and said, "That's reasonable. Just give us a second."

Mipha kept a hand on Link's chest as she let him sit down on the ground again. His head slumped slightly and she could tell he was gonna fall asleep at any second. She looked down and noticed that it was only the armour that had repaired itself as she could see a thin cut on his trousers. She had a faint idea of what had happened to Link and his spontaneous energy. There had been times when she had healed him and he felt exhausted afterwards. Of course it had never been to this extent before but she had a feeling that her powers had caused his abundance of stamina.

She looked down at Link and took a gamble. She used her powers while keeping her hand clasped over Link's chest. She didn't use much of it-just enough to see if she was right. The moment that she started, Link's head poked up and he blinked his eyes clearly at her.

She asked with a slight smile, "is this what you felt during the fight?"

Link nodded slowly in realization saying, "That was you, not just some adrenaline."

Mipha smiled and helped Link to his feet saying, "Apparently so. I don't know the effects of this, so be careful. When we get back to Hyrule castle, you need to get some rest. You've been through a lot today." Link was gonna disagree but decided it wasn't worth it. He had already learned the secret to arguing with Mipha—don't. He knew it wasn't worthwhile as she would always outsmart him.

He looked at Epona as the horse threw back its head irritably. Link sighed as he weakly clasped his over Mipha's.

"Just keep me awake for the rest of the ride, alright?

Mipha scoffed as they strode over to his steed, "I am never riding by myself on a horse ever again. Leave me to do that again and I'll kill you before this Dark Link does." Link looked down at Mipha but wasn't sure if she was joking or not.

The rest of the ride went smoothly, the guards kept a close watch around the group but there weren't any other disturbances. Mipha made sure to keep a firm hold on Link during the ride—not fully to keep her own balance but more so to keep him in the saddle. She continually gave him a small amount of energy, enough to keep him awake, but not enough to reinvigorate him like it had earlier. She knew it was impossible to sleep with a quick heartbeat, and the energy kept his heart rate above average.

Mipha's mouth gaped open at the sight of Hyrule Castle. She'd always seen it from so far away and never really got close to it. Of course she's seen it like this before, but it never ceases to amaze her.

The walls rose steadily around the natural hill. She saw a large gatehouse in front of them with two farther along the path. They were still outside of the castle as their horses hooves clicked on the cobblestone beneath them. There was a small, simple town built inside of the castle walls. Villagers went around doing their menial tasks; not realizing the King would be re-entering his castle at any moment.

They got close to the gate and it immediately began to open outwards. It was two large metal double doors that required two men hauling on a crank to open. As it grated open slowly, there was a scramble of movement on the ramparts above. Mipha was still amazed by the sight of Hyrule castle and stared with a wide open jaw.

Zelda smiled saying, "welcome back to Hyrule Castle."

Mipha closed her mouth with an audible click and said, "thank you, it's an honour."

King Rhoame looked over at them saying, "I will need a while to speak to Purah about the events of today." He looked up at the sky and saw where the sun was positioned.

He sighed deeply saying, "It's late evening. I will send a messenger later tonight so that we can talk of this privately. For now, you should all rest and speak nothing of Dark Link. You never know which ears are listening."

Zelda looked at her father strangely as he dismounted his horse and handed the reins to a stable boy.

Zelda glanced back at Mipha. She noticed the constant grip around Link. Zelda felt a pang of jealousy.

She forced the feeling away and asked them, "is that what we're calling him? Dark Link? Seems a tad over dramatic, don't you think?" She looked over slightly at Link and saw him swaying in his saddle. A look of concern grew on her face.

Mipha peered out over the side of the saddle and asked, "Would you help me get him down?"

Zelda groaned as Link's feet touched the ground saying, "Dear Hylia! Why does he have to eat so much?"

Link tried to keep his eyes open as wide as he could, putting as much effort as he could into standing and staying awake as he could. He debated if that rush of energy was worth this state of exhaustion. Thinking back to how it probably saved his life, he deemed it necessary.

Link used as much energy as he could muster to stand up straight saying, "I'm fine, just a little tired." He took a step forward, immediately faltering. Zelda and Mipha both caught him at the same time.

Zelda exclaimed, "My god, Link you are not okay! I've never seen you so exhausted in your life!"

Mipha spoke quietly and guiltily while saying, "It's actually because of me."

Zelda looked at her inquisitively asking, "how could you hav-"

"It's because of my powers. The healing is basically a transferral of energy from one part of the body to another—or my body to someone else's. During the ride through the forest, I think I was inadvertently using my powers on him."

Realization dawned on Zelda's face and she continued for Mipha, "so that gave him the adrenaline he was speaking of back at the crater. That would explain his exhaustion, he must have used all the energy which had piggybacked onto his and drained him fully."

Mipha nodded and said, "Either that or the effect wore off, and instead of giving him energy it drained him."

"Yeah, that could also be it." She groaned as Link put more weight on them. "Let's just get him to his room shall we?"

Mipha nodded without a response, she was amazed at how heavy Link actually was for his small size.

Link remembered getting off Epona and bits of pieces of conversation between Zelda and Mipha. Although they didn't speak too much, it was more like complaining. Link frowned as he realized that none of the guards had decided to help out the princesses—they just tended to their horses. He wanted to say something, but was too weak to even be able to lift his head. Next thing he knew he was laying on his bed.

Link blinked his eyes open lightly to see some familiar pillows and the soft feathering beneath him. He let out a relaxed sigh as his sore muscles did the same. Suddenly he remembered why he was back at Hyrule castle in bed and shot upright.

Mipha was pacing at the foot of the bed deep in thought. The second Link began to stir she had stopped to see if we was awake. As she peered closely he shot upright and she let out a yelp and jumped backwards. She clasped her hands over her chest and stared at Link for a second. She flattened her hands on her sternum and took a deep breath.

Link rubbed his head as the sudden movement sent showers of pain through it. He swung his legs out over the side of the bed and onto the floor.

He looked over at Mipha and said, "Sorry about that," she looked at him while still flustered as he continued, "How long have I been asleep?"

Mipha shook her head and sat down beside him saying, "It's fine, and you've been asleep for four or five hours."

Link rubbed his head in exasperation and looked out the barred window to see the sun already half-set. He let his gaze drift back over the familiar surroundings.

Link's room was much simpler than most. He had a small table with spare papers and an oak chair beside it. He had a small dresser that contained multiple pairs of clothing, all of which were extremely similar to each other. The window on the far side of the rectangular room looked out over the courtyard of the castle and the ramparts; perfect view for Link to overview the guards if he chose to. He remembered the time he'd glanced out the window one time and saw two of the guards on the ramparts playing cards. He also remembered dragging a guard down from the ramparts but couldn't remember if those events were connected.

His bed was rumoured to be the most comfortable in Hyrule. He didn't see why, as it was barely big enough for him, the mattress was too hard and his pillows barely had any feathers left in them. But nonetheless it was his bed and he had always been too lazy to ever improve it.

Link snapped back into reality when Mipha nudged him with her elbow. He looked over and met her staring gaze as she obviously waited for an answer. Link hadn't realized she had asked something and looked at her blankly. She rolled her eyes saying, "Still a bit exhausted I guess."

Mipha stopped herself from saying more; she felt that was too harsh on him. It was her fault anyway that he felt like this.

She jumped when Link put an arm around her and said, "Can we agree on one thing?" She looked at him and nodded, waiting for his question. Link looked down at her perfect gold eyes and said, "When you use your healing powers on me like that, ask me first. I will admit that I'm glad it happened by accident today, but next time I could be burned out at the wrong time."

Mipha looked at him and nodded quickly. She let out an internal sigh of relief. She thought would have been angry but was happy that he could see the whole scope of the situation.

Link was happy to see her relieved. Everything had been so tense ever since they got into the forest. He subconsciously put his hand up to feel the strap of the master sword on his back. He started to panic when he realized he didn't have it on and searched frantically for a second. He stopped when he saw his sword and bow resting beside the closed door. He let out a deep breath; he hadn't even realized that he was holding it. He noticed however that his shield was missing.

Mipha noticed the slump in his shoulders and said, "Someone named Purah took your shield. It had turned completely black and burned anyone who tried to touch it. Oddly enough, she wanted to touch it way more after she found out that it couldn't be touched."

Link's eyebrows furled together in distaste. That was his favourite shield and now he couldn't even touch it.

He shook his head and said, "Purah's our head scientist. She has a lab here and in Hateno village."

"That makes way more sense now."

They sat there in silence for a few moments. Mipha's whispers seemed to split the cold air. "So... what do you do around here?"

Link looked down at her and thought for a moment. He said half to himself, "well I'm the head of security for Hyrule castle. That means if there are any urgent matters that are brought to the king; it's usually because I couldn't figure it out." Link smiled, knowing that the king hasn't had to personally deal with any quarrels in at least two years. He continued saying, "I'm also Zelda's personal guard. That means wherever she goes, I go too. I'm in charge of training the guards, making sure posts are manned and that no one slacks off while on lookout duty."

Mipha looked at him with a smile. He had misinterpreted her question about what he does. She already knew about what he did around Hyrule Castle. She reformed her question, "I meant, what do you do to entertain yourself?"

Link opened his mouth immediately to respond to her easy question. He stopped when he realized he didn't really have an answer. He closed his mouth slowly and stared at the wall thinking.

Link barely got any time for himself. In fact, he doesn't really know what he'd do if he was given a day off. He'd probably just sleep an extra hour and then get back to work.

He shook his head saying, "well it doesn't really matter anymore. A lot of what I do is going to change now that I'm gonna be living in Zora's domain. And I don't really need to do much packing," Link frowned in annoyance, "other than getting a new shield."

Mipha looked up at him saying, "You're really going to live in Zora's Domain, just like that?"

"Yeah, why not?"

Mipha opened her mouth to reply but stopped herself. _Why not?_ She smiled selfishly to herself and said, "Yeah… why not."

Another silence began to grow between them. Mipha spoke before he could have more time to think about his move.

"When do you think the King will send a messenger?" Link shrugged his shoulders and opened his mouth to speak when a knock appeared on the door.

He answered in a suddenly steady and booming voice. Mipha was surprised to hear him like that. He had always seemed impulsive to her, never thinking ahead or having any real plan. But here he was with the voice of an authoritarian the second someone under his command spoke to him. It was the voice that she had heard Rhoame use so often to Link and any of their guards. It was the intimidating voice of a King—or in this case, the King of swordsman.

The messenger spoke as they heard his voice. The sound filtered under the door as the messenger never touched the door handle, no one barged into the head guard's room without specific clearance. "The king wants to see you, in the private chambers." Link frowned oddly at the choice of room.

He responded asking, "Not the meeting hall?"

He was sure the messenger was shaking her head as she said, "No. He requested the private chambers."

That's odd, thought Link. It's been a long time since the king has used the private chambers. Normally he'd take up any big conversations in the meeting hall, or the throne room. Both of which had tiny holes in the wall that a guard could peer through and listen to in case someone in the meeting pulled out a concealed weapon or threatened the king in anyway. There was always a guard within earshot of the king, everywhere except for the private chambers.

It was the same as any conference room in a Castle. Except this one was built more into the ground and with a thick soundproof door. It was checked once a day to make sure that there were no holes drilled into any part of the room. The King needed to talk privately once in a while, but never did he speak with Link in there before.

Anyone caught listening or looking in there without the consent of the king was immediately arrested and suspected of treason.

Link stood up and stretched. He heard a satisfying pop in the small of his back and let out a sigh of relief. He felt much better now and picked up the master sword and bow, slinging it around his shoulders.

Mipha stood up saying, "slow down! You don't have to hurt yourself just because you are able to."

Link grinned saying, "well I don't want to keep the king waiting."

Mipha was about to make an excuse for him but realized he had a point. She remembers all too well what can happen if a king had to wait too long for a meeting. Mipha stepped forward and opened the large oak door.

"Then let's get going, Champion."


	10. An Inconclusive Talk

As they strode through the halls of the castle, Mipha thought that Link looked a little too tense. She shyly slid one of her hands into his. He embraced it but didn't look down at her—he was scanning the hallway in front of them.

Mipha squeezed his hand lightly while asking, "What's wrong? You're tense. Are you not safe within your own castle?"

Link grinned saying, "oh we're safe alright, I make sure of that. But my guards will take every opportunity to try to best me. They'll hide around corners or try to sneak up on me. I'm almost convinced that they have a bet going that the first one to sneak up on me and take me to the ground gets the pot. I've seen them adding more and more to it every day. I hear there's a lot of rupees in that pot, and I'm not about to give it to them for free."

Mipha nodded but now looked around nervously; she didn't like the thought of Link getting tackled by one of his own guards.

He saw the worried expression and chuckled saying, "don't worry, they'd never harm me unless they want to spend every night of their life on watch duty. And they'd never touch you—they'd have to deal with much worse if they did that. But I still suspect they'll try something today, especially since they must have heard some gossip about me and you. The only thing a guard is better at than swordplay, is gossiping."

Mipha gave an expression that was the Zora equivalent of raising an eyebrow. She looked up at him and asked, "Isn't that a bad thing?"

"Maybe," Link whispered as he slowed down near the end of the hall. It split off in both directions making a t-intersection. They turned down the left hallway. This one had a red carpet with lots of art along the walls. Even though it was cobblestone, nails were driven into the grout and paintings hung off them.

Link continued as he let out a sigh of relief, "that's why I'm not taking a direct route to any of the possible meeting areas. That's where the most guards will be. Don't you think it's odd that we haven't seen any guards roaming these halls?" Link gestured ahead and behind them.

Mipha pondered for a second and looked around. She knew that Link was right—she hadn't seen a guard since they left Link's room.

She was about to talk again when Link stopped for a second after they rounded another corner. He put a hand out in front of Mipha to stop her from moving any closer. She bumped into it and looked up accusingly at Link as his hand pressed up against her chest. Link quickly withdrew it and blushed saying, "sorry."

He quickly changed the topic and pointed up ahead. He suddenly started walking again. He said, louder than usual, "this hallway has more art than many of the others. It has many more decorative items than usual." Mipha began looking around as Link's voice echoed through the halls. She noticed to tone of authority slowing slipping into his voice as he spoke at the unreasonable volume.

She almost jumped when Link whispered without moving his head towards her, "the armour sets. Look at them a little more closely."

Mipha looked straight ahead and saw what looked like two full sets of amour. She saw how they were standing fully erect with their hands positioned where swords should be. Of course they wouldn't have any swords with them as decoration; no weapons would by lying around like that.

She shrugged heedlessly saying, "What about them?"

Link smiled, knowing he hadn't been outsmarted as he said, "they're supposed to be identical, and not wearing gloves."

He spoke loudly again and pointed to a random painting, "Hylian's have more history than you would originally think, even with our shorter lifespans."

Mipha caught onto what was going on. Link suspected someone was inside one of the armour sets. That's why he mentioned the gloves. A set of armour could easily tilt slightly out of place, but no one would deliberately put gloves on it without an ulterior motive.

She nodded and said, "I never would have thought." As she spoke, she studied the two armour sets more carefully. She realized what Link meant and saw that the one on the right had black gloves on under the gauntlets and how its hands were similar to the one across from it, but it wasn't exact.

The right hand was tilted a little too far over to be holding a sword correctly. Mipha grinned as she pointed at the suspected armour and asking, "Why don't you where this kind of armour when out with Zelda?" Link grinned at her question and stopped in front of the armour—turning directly towards it.

He pretended to ponder for a second and said, "You know I've had to tell this to my guards because every new recruit asks this question. I bet Gilan could tell you... couldn't he?"

Link glared at the set of "empty" armour for a solid ten seconds. He felt a pang of doubt for a second as nothing happened. The suspected armour he was looking at didn't move as they continued to wait. Link got worried for a split second. He decided to check his suspicions and tapped on the helmet saying, "that's the sign that I caught you."

Link stared at it for another three seconds intently. He let out an inner sigh when he saw eyes flick open through the narrow slit in the visor.

The arms of the armour fell down and slapped against the hips of the man wearing them. He clambered with the visor and finally pushed it up, letting out a deep breath. Mipha noticed how he had a line of black paint across his eyes as he raised the visor. Link noticed that too.

The man said, "Dear god you were right about these things! I feel like a pig roast right now!" He stepped down from the pedestal and removed the helmet and took a deep breath. His bushy moustache seemed to bounce like a spring as the man freed it from the confined helmet.

The mysterious figure, who Mipha guessed was Gilan, looked down at Mipha. He spoke politely, "this must be your very special lady friend." He bowed politely, knowing he was speaking to royalty, and stood back up to full height and turned to Link.

They both glared at each other for a second but both laughed and stepped forward in a large hug. They let go after a pat or two on the back and Gilan twirled a piece of his spindly moustache around a finger.

He asked, "So tell me, was it the gloves or the pose?"

Link grinned saying, "it was the gloves at first, but your pose was almost perfect."

Gilan nodded as he rubbed his chin. He flashed a finger towards his eyes and asked, "Did the paint work?"

Link shook his head as he remembered his feeling of doubt beforehand. He said, "Yes it surprisingly did. If you didn't reveal yourself I would have to take the helmet off you just to be sure."

Gilan's eyes lit up at the praise. He knew that since he had pale skin, it'd shine through the holes in the armour. He'd planned out beforehand where the gaps were and painted parts of his face with black paint to make it look as if it were empty. The armour set across from his had a black hole full of shadow where a person would normally reside.

Gilan nodded delighted at the partial success. He looked down at Mipha and asked, "Did you notice before he did?"

Mipha noticed how intimidating Gilan was; he stood a little over a head taller than herself and Link, especially when in full knight's armour. She shook her head and Gilan let a huge delighted smile spread across his face.

He looked back to Link saying, "You got to admit, it will work if anyone intrudes into the castle, especially at night."

Link nodded saying, "I have no doubts that it would work against an unsuspecting intruder. I got lucky since I was looking specifically for you anyways. It is a good idea though, might even use this kind of post as a punishment."

Gilan grinned saying, "better than being out in the cold."

"Is it?

The smile dropped of Gilan's face as he said, "No. It's horrible in here."

Silence grew for a second as Gilan readjusted the uncomfortable armour.

Link jumped suddenly. "Right! Mipha this is Gilan, Gilan this is Mipha."

Mipha curtseyed as Gilan bowed again.

He said, "I heard you're the reason that this pest is moving to Zora's domain." Gilan smiled with a playful smile and a glance at Link.

Mipha nodded with a proud smile saying, "and it sounds like things might get a little looser around here when he's gone."

Gilan waved the idea off saying, "anyone who gets his post will have been trained by him, and they'll make sure everything is up to Link's standards."

Link responded saying, "They'd better, considering I'm putting in a personal reference to the King for you to take my post."

Gilan froze and turned to Link in amazement. He made very loud clunking noises as he tapped a finger to his chest wordlessly. Link nodded as he tried not to laugh at the dumbstruck face.

He sighed disappointedly and looked around saying, "well I don't see any other guards here that are trying to catch me."

Gilan smirked. He'd chosen this hallway because he knew that all the other guards would post themselves for patrol on the routes just outside the main meeting halls. He'd chosen a hallway that was far out to the side, one that only a paranoid captain would take.

He held himself high and said, "thank you Link! I'll make sure everything is top notch around here!"

Link nodded approvingly and said, "I would hope so, you've always been the second best warrior around here."

Even though the saying usually would have dampened someone's ego, it didn't with Gilan's. He had always called Link the best swordsman in Hyrule Castle and it was an honour to hear that he was the next one in line of skill. Link held out his hand to shake Gilan's and he took it right away.

Link nodded they nodded silently to each other as they firmly shook hands. Link was beginning to get annoyed by the constant clanging of the metal armour.

Link spoke his final words to Gilan before setting off, "good luck with the busy timetable."

Gilan nodded his thanks as Link strode away. Mipha was about to follow but stopped hesitatantly. She looked back at Gilan saying, "You'll do just fine around here."

He nodded to her and strode off-going the opposite way Link had. Mipha watched him go for a second but turned to catch up with Link.

* * *

Link opened the thick iron door that led down into the conference room. It had a bolt latch on the inside that was currently unlocked. The room itself was darker than most and reminded Link grimly of a dungeon. He never understood why the private conference room had to seem so ominous all the time. He strode into the room but stopped when Zelda, Rhoame and Purah all stared at him.

"Are we late?"

He stepped into the room to let Mipha in and closed the door behind her. He promptly slid the latch over the small plate and locked it. As he did so, Purah tapped her fingers on the table in boredom.

"Not as late as usual." She looked up and hopefully asked, "Happen to get tackled by a guard or something?"

Link squinted suspiciously at her saying, "I made sure I wasn't."

"Damn. I put fifty rupees in that pot today."

Zelda perked up saying, "Purah!"

She Purah snapped her fingers saying, "if they're gonna do it anyway I want a part of it!"

Link brushed dust off his shoulder and pulled out a chair for Mipha. He tucked it into the table before moving to take his own place.

He reported his actions to Rhoame, "actually Gilan did almost catch me today. He used a set of armour and replaced one of the sets in the hallway leading here. If I wasn't looking for anything out of the ordinary I wouldn't have spotted him."

Rhoame rubbed his beard saying, "interesting. Gilan you say?"

"Yes sir, he's the best candidate to replace me if you want me to say it directly."

"I was waiting for that, thank you." He shook his head and as he changed the topic, "anyways, that's not what we are here for. We are here about this."

As Rhoame spoke, he gestured towards Link's shield that was on the centre of the round table. It was completely enshrouded in darkness, with the two arrows still embedded in it.

Link looked to Purah and asked, "What is in those arrows? What are they even made of?"

"I have no idea. And we can't touch it with bare hands; which makes it much harder to find out."

Rhoame chipped back in as he glared at Purah. "We've discussed what it is made of Purah."

She responded saying, "We have I know. But I still want to be sure," Purah turned her gaze to Link, "if you wouldn't mind, just pull out the Master Sword."

Link looked suspiciously at them but followed the order. He slowly hefted the master sword easily from his scabbard. He rested held it near the shield and stared at it. The sword was glowing as bright as it would be if he were fighting Ganon himself. He held it near the shield and watched as the darkness sizzled away from it as the sword drew close. He continued the motion until the entire thing, including the arrows, were free of the shadow substance. Everyone stared at the arrows and saw that they were just regular weapons. They had wooden shafts and white fletching with steel arrowheads. Purah and Rhoame both sat back simultaneously. Rhoame spoke, "so it is him."

Silence spread through the room.

Mipha broke it by saying, "if I may, aren't we here to learn about who Dark Link is?"

"Not who, we already know that. What we don't know is where." Purse leaned forward as she continued, "this may seem confusing at first so roll with me. This Link, we've seen him before-"

"What?! Why do I not know about this?!" Zelda shouted as she leaned forward, slamming her hands onto the table. Rhoame looked at her in distaste at the sudden reaction.

However he replied calmly to her, "Because I did not see it fit as relevant information at the time. But now it is so listen up. This Link used these same kind of arrows. Ones enshrouded in Ganon's energy and able to corrupt whatever they embed themselves in. The first time we saw him, was two years ago. We don't know much about him, but we do know that he can blend into the shadows and even disappear whenever he wants and re appear anywhere he wishes. We don't know why he looks exactly like you Link, but we do know that he serves Ganon."

Mipha voiced her thoughts, "So that's why the arrows had that kind of darkness to them. They can corrupt anything to Ganon's will." Purah gave a small applaud saying, exactly! In fact I think he is the complete opposite of our Link here. I believe he is a corrupted copy or something of our warrior."

Zelda perked up asking, "How so?" Zelda had always been interested in finding reasoning behind any conceivable problem facing them. Unfortunately there wasn't much to be able to find out here.

Purah leaned back saying, "well first of all is his appearance. He's completely enshrouded in darkness wherever he goes. And if I heard rumours right, you all found Link because of a glow?" Zelda and Mipha nodded when Purah looked at them.

She smiled saying, "so I must be right. But it doesn't explain why he's still around. Without Ganon, shouldn't he have no will? He should just be a wondering monster without any purpose."

"Oh he definitely has his own will. He could speak perfectly, counted his arrows, gives orders to the creatures of Ganon while not being afraid to kill a couple. He killed a Lizalfos commander before finding me."

Rhoame rubbed his beard saying, "yes he does seem to be under his own will, but using the power of Ganon. He even set out a target." As he said this, Link glanced nervously at Mipha. She didn't meet his gaze but instead held her dignifying, straight-backed pose.

Purah spoke up suddenly saying, "Well we also know he's got effective night vision." Purah smiled sheepishly as everyone glanced over at her. She continued confidently, "well he's got _glowing_ red pupils. That means his eyes give off light which lets him see in any brightness." She smirked as she hyperbolized the gestures during her remark.

She probably should have stopped while she was ahead but continued on rattling, "And since the colour is red, we know that he is effectively colour blind." Purah's heart sank a little as she saw all the faces become slightly disinterested in that fact.

She didn't come to realize how irrelevant it was as she continued rambling, "well since his eyes give off red light, any light that comes in gets filtered. He only sees in shades of red…" she trailed off as Rhoame spoke solely to her.

"And how does this help us?"

"It… doesn't?"

"Then why are you still talking about it?"

Purah shut her mouth and crossed her arms as she leaned back in the chair. She was wise in not speaking back against her liege but was still angered by the blatant disrespect.

A silence grew throughout the room and Link got impatient. He asked, "So do we know anything about him other than that he looks exactly like me, has night vision, works for Ganon as some kind of general and wants to kill me?"

Purah pointed out again despite her earlier rambling, "and all the champions. Actually he probably plans to kill anyone that could stop Ganon from coming back-" Purah gasped and snapped her finger sassily saying, "that's his plan! I knew it!" She froze and settled deeper into her seat realizing she'd just exclaimed positively about the entire royal family being marked for death by an assassin.

Rhoame waved it off saying, "We'll be safe inside of the castle. In fact I'll create a couple posts using Gilan's hiding spots to catch any intruders that decide that they might want to get in here."

"But I will be needed back at Zora's Domain," Mipha said as she leaned forward slightly.

Zelda put a hand on Mipha's shoulder saying, "we can set up an armed transport for you. Anyways you'll have our Link with you and he's guaranteed able to at least match the other Link's agility and strength."

Mipha let out a small sigh of relief and nodded to Zelda. To be honest, Mipha was terrified of the thought of having someone mark her for death. She'd never thought about how she would be a target because of her position. She wished she could have her trident inside the castle now. She was the Zora Champion after all and had no doubts that she could put up at least a fight against Dark Link. But she knew that none of the champions, including herself, could outmatch the Hylian Champion. She looked over at Link, who was in deep thought.

He leaned forward suddenly and asked, "so what now? We know very little about him but we have an end goal. What is there we could even do to protect everyone against… me?"

Zelda looked over worriedly at him saying, "I was going to ask you the same thing. How do we…" Zelda stopped and looked around for help from the others around them. Purah leaned back in her small oaken chair and watched the situation unfold. Zelda finished her sentence regretfully, "…kill you?"

Link glared at her and rubbed his face with both hands. He sighed heavily and let his hands fall onto the table exasperatedly.

He spoke ominously, "well I'd ask Gilan. He's been the one that's pestered me the most. If anyone knows how to catch me or _kill_ me if need be… it'd be him.

Everyone in the room looked quietly at Link as he spoke his mind. They all glanced at each other near the end, all knowing it was true. Link looked at them knowing there was nothing else to say or discuss. He was tired of this discussion. Nothing was getting done while there was a man out there plotting to kill Mipha and himself.

Link stood up, forcefully skidding his chair back a couple inches.

"Well if that's all we can find out about him, I've got to plan a route back to Zora's Domain-one that doesn't involve any forests or craters."

Rhoame grabbed Link's arm before he left saying, "hold on. I've got a gift for you. I am still your king you know." Link stopped and acquiescently stood in place.

Rhoame reached down and pulled a large shield from under the table. It was a metal kite shield that had a blue plate over the front. It also had a red design of a Loftwing on it and the symbol of the combined Triforce. Link instantly recognized it as a Hylian shield only wielded by a royal descendant. He looked at in awe and then back to the king inquisitively.

Rhoame shrugged saying, "this shield is meant for a member of royalty—they just never specified which royal family. You deserve it Link, and I bet you'll need it. Try not to ruin this one." Rhoame added the last part with a grin.

Link was infamous in the royal guard for destroying any equipment given to him and often needed replacements. His shield always needs replacing as he would constantly surf on top of it to gain more distance than he would on foot. Link grinned as he carefully lifted the shield up and strapped it onto his arm. He felt that it was oddly familiar and it seemed to be almost weightless once attached.

He looked at it again saying, "Thank you, my lord."

King Rhoame waved off the title saying, "You're no longer bound to me. Your services belong to the Zora's now. When do you think you'll be leaving?"

All eyes looked at Link upon Rhoame's question. He shrugged and looked at Mipha. She blinked, knowing that Link trusted her judgement and wanted to know how long she wanted to stay for. She felt touched that he trusted her judgement more than his own.

"I think being back at Zora's domain by tomorrow night will be just fine."

"Then we will leave around noon tomorrow, we should be in the daylight until we reach the outskirts of Zora's Domain."

Zelda nodded her agreement to Link's words as she said, "that should be plenty of time. Too bad this Dark Link business has ruined your visit to Hyrule castle, Mipha. I had really looked forward to this."

Mipha smiled and bowed her head saying, "me too. I'll be sure to return if anything urgent arises and when this Dark Link situation is over."

Zelda smiled gently while saying, "That would be appreciated."

Mipha stood up to make her leave. She stood up much more gently than Link had. She looked over as Link opened the heavyset door to let her through. The metal door grated along the ground as the rusted hinges screeched.

Right before Mipha left, King Rhoame added one thing, "and Link, you are still the Hylian Champion against Ganon. Otherwise, all your loyalties can lie with the Zora's completely uncontested. But I wouldn't complain if you showed our soldiers what a hero can do with a sword once in a while."

"That's perfect. Thank you, Rhoame." Link had never addressed the king using his name before. Even though it was correct for him to say it, it still felt odd.

Link blinked to clear his head and said, "I'll see you all in the morning, I guess." They all agreed and watched as Link closed the door behind him.

* * *

Back in Link's bedroom, he was lying strewn across his bed in defeat. He'd never faced someone who could appear out of nowhere or disappear into the ground. He also couldn't reason out how or why Dark Link existed. This would be one of the weirdest and strangest conflicts of his life—he was sure of hat.

He looked to his left as Mipha fell onto the bed beside him. She had hated the conversation in that damp basement. She had fallen in love with Link long ago, her heart attracted to his selflessness and devotion to helping others. And now that she was finally with him, they were being hunted by an evil version of him. It was hard for her to know that the man she loved was attempting to kill her, even if he was just some kind of evil clone.

Mipha looked to her right and saw the deep frown on Link's face. She grew concerned and slid one of her hands into his. He immediately gripped hers and held it closer to his chest.

He said, "this whole situation is nuts."

"Yeah… yeah it is. Do you think we'll ever learn what he really is?"

"Maybe. We just need to get rid of him first; he's a danger to everyone, especially you."

Mipha shook the thought of immediate danger out of her head. She became suddenly aware of exactly where her trident was in the room just in case.

She cleared her throat and said, "Maybe those dark arrows won't work against me. You said that the energy I gave you had protected you from it, maybe it will protect me too."

"He has a sword too, along with regular arrows. I think the shadow-like arrows are meant to corrupt me or any other Champions." Link looked back up at the stone ceiling and sighed. He didn't like anything about this situation.

Mipha hated the dark mood recently. She thought Hyrule castle would be a more uplifting place and not as depressing. She looked at Link and knew how much he was thinking about what he could possibly do. But she knew there wasn't anything they could do but wait. She rolled her eyes in her sudden boredom. A sheepish grin crept onto her face as she got a sly idea.

She stood up and motioned to go to the door.

Link sat up quickly. "Leaving?"

Mipha, who had stopped and looked back before Link had even sat up, spoke innocently, "well it is getting late and I was just gonna go to the guest room."

Link stood up saying, "do you even know where that is?" Mipha thought for a second, she actually didn't know where it was.

She played along with the opportunity saying, "no, not really."

Link walked up to her saying, "then you can stay here, no need to go wondering the castle at night." Mipha stepped closer to Link as he plan continued and she asked while batting her eyelids, "you would do that? You don't mind?"

Link was about to respond immediately as his protective instincts overcame him. Actually he wasn't sure if it was his protective instinct or his feelings for her—maybe it was a combination of both. He stopped as he looked down at the expectant face.

"I know what you're doing."

Mipha tilted her head saying, "then just do me a favour."

"And what would that be?"

Mipha blushed slightly and turned away from him. She slowly backed into him and until she was resting her back against his chest. She grabbed his arms and wrapped them around her waist delicately. She spoke smoothly, "don't leave me."

Link wrapped his arms closer around her. He felt her steady breathing calming, soothing to his soul. He leaned down towards her while whispering, "I'd never think of it."

* * *

An hour later, they both lay in bed; one nestled with the other. Link lay with his chest to the ceiling and his eyes wide open. Mipha was the opposite; she had her back to the ceiling and was resting with her chest on Link's abdomen and head resting on his chest. She enjoyed the soothing movement of his breathing; it reminded her of the gentle waves in her own bed at Zora's domain. But even though she was in a new bed in a new environment, she felt safer than she ever had before. Mipha lay awake also, maybe not as awake as Link, but enough to know that his mind was still not at rest.

Her whispered words cut through the silence like a knife through butter as she asked, "you're not asleep are you?"

"You're not asleep either."

"You're still thinking about Dark Link, aren't you?"

Link instantly defended himself saying, "no…" he thought for a second and realized there was no reason to and continued, "maybe. I just don't want to have to wait for him to strike again."

Mipha hauled herself up and closer to his face by placing herself directly over top of Link.

She said, "Well, do you want to know why I think he is targeting me?" Link looked down at her, making sure not to peer further downwards at her chest as she continued, "because you have what he doesn't."

Link furrowed his brows and asked, "And what would that be?"

Mipha smiled with a blush on her face saying, "he doesn't have any friends, not even one title of Champion, and he doesn't have me." Link understood her reasoning now.

She continued saying, "he wants to take away everything from you that he doesn't have, starting with me."

Mipha stared at Link's face waiting for a reaction. Link nodded and smile grew on his face, one of the first genuine ones since he had seen Dark Link.

He said half to himself, "I've got things that he doesn't. I'm better than him not because of my skill, but because of everyone else around me. He wants to take away what's most important to me. He wants to take away you."

He looked down at Mipha who had a blush growing redder and redder. She smiled brightly too now, seeing Link's reassurance.

He spoke defiantly, "well if that's what he wants, he messed with the wrong Zora." Mipha pushed herself upwards and close to Link so that their mouths were only an inch apart.

She whispered quietly, "and the wrong Hylian." Before she could lower herself any further, Link thrust his head upwards gently to hers. Their lips locked together and Mipha let out a little giggle. She rubbed her hands up and onto Link's pronounced jaw and let her eyes close. Link turned to the side, slowly turn Mipha with him.

He let their lips separate for a moment and he spoke softly, "thank you."

Mipha smiled and pulled Link closer against her whispering, "It's my thanks for staying here." They both smiled as they pressed their bodies gently together. For the rest of that night until Link fell asleep with Mipha, he wasn't burdened by anything. Link was happy and carefree.


	11. Perverted Interests

It was a surprisingly beautiful morning in Hyrule castle the next day. Mipha stood on the ramparts near the training courtyard and looked over the bustling town that was within the low walls. Small but efficient houses lined the compact streets. She saw people carrying pots over their heads as they weaved through crowds; and others that ran to the stores before stock ran out. It reminded Mipha of her home and how she would watch other Zora's on their daily commute as they swam through the waters. She glanced back at Link as he stood beside a table with a large map on it.

He and another guard were pointing to different areas and putting small flags on it, slowing making a safe route to Zora's Domain. Mipha grinned as he proudly donned the Zora amour instead of the standard Hylian outfit. She will admit with the other clothes he wore to protect himself from the chilled wind that he looked like a commoner but she didn't mind. It made him seem less immortal. Although, she still thought of him that way.

Mipha saw in the large courtyard a mass of bodies moving around, all of which were wearing the standard Hylian watch garb. She saw Gilan walking amongst a line or two of them while speaking sternly. She assumed it was regular training or maybe new arrangements for patrols. Either way Gilan was taking his role very seriously, as he should.

There were practice fights going on with wooden swords. The swords were made of wood and consisted of only three wooden cylinders. They matched the weight and shape of a regular sword to allow consistency for the soldiers. Mipha liked what she was seeing. She might have to make a few of these arrangements and structure back in Zora's Domain.

She was distracted as her gaze followed a group of starlings that flew over the castle. Something caught her gaze as she followed the birds. She looked down and saw a lone guard leaning against the ramparts further down—staring intently at her.

Mipha rolled her eyes and focused in on the town again. She was trying to spot all the different commodity stores as she heard footsteps in front of her. She looked over and saw the man had stridden up in front of her and leaned against the ramparts like she was.

He was a tall man, probably around Gilan's height. His stomach however, was too big for the armour he wore and Mipha noted how he smelt of oil for some reason. She took a small step back and ignored him.

He slurred his words slightly as he said, "what's a Zorian like you doing out here?" Mipha grit her teeth for a second at the improper noun the man had used.

She looked at him with an air of royalty and responded, "I'm here because I'm allowed to be and I'm a Zora, not a 'Zorian' as you called it."

Mipha tried not to show any emotion as she heard the man say under his breath, "whatever." He spoke up with his usual redundant wording.

"You know, it's not too safe around Hyrule for a pretty girl such as yourself. I can uh, give you a tour anytime."

Mipha didn't even flinch as Gilan's voice rose above the clunking of wooden sword. "Murphy back off will you?! You have a sparring match in five minutes!"

Link heard Gilan and wondered what was going on. He glanced away from his work on the map and saw a man leaning "casually" against the ramparts near Mipha. In fact, the man looked like he was straining to look so casual.

Link squinted at the man, he didn't recognize him and he already hated him. He saw the insignia on his shoulder and saw he was a brand new recruit to the guard. Link sighed, knowing that most men joined the guard just to show off to women. And right now this rookie was getting a little too close to Mipha, enough to grab Gilan's attention. With Link's experience, if Gilan needed to pipe up to Murphy, Link should be keeping an eye on the man.

Link turned back to the guard beside him who followed his gaze. He saw Link's stern expression and spoke up, hoping to be helpful.

"His name is Murphy. He's a mess and someone who just doesn't get along with others. He's completely perverted and only joined the guard a week ago for the status. Only reason he is still here is because he's not half bad with a sword."

"Should I go introduce myself?"

The burly guard thought to himself for a second. He glanced over at Murphy and Mipha. He knew that Link was the Zora's Champion as well as anyone that had half a brain. He thought to himself now that Murphy probably drank away most of his brain cells. The heavyset guard nodded and said, "I'd make sure he knows who he's talking to."

Link nodded and turned away, stalking angrily towards Murphy and Mipha.

Mipha physically couldn't roll her eyes back any further as Murphy looked over saying, "hear that? You can come watch me dominate the fight. I'm the best one here by far. Not even Gilan could handle me in a fight. I'd like to see the old captain come back here and test himself against a real warrior."

Mipha didn't respond and just looked down out over the town. She felt Murphy's gave drift back to her as he said, "you know… you'd look a lot better without that piece of silk."

Mipha looked back at him and harshly asked, "excuse me?!" Murphy stepped towards her and placed a finger on the silk. He was getting dangerously close and Mipha was starting to get pissed off at him. She decided that killing the Hylian would be going too far, but he wasn't going to grab at her chest and leave unscathed. But she didn't have her trident, or any weapons. With being a Zora, she has naturally shorter legs and therefore less land mobility. Mipha also had almost no hand to hand skills at all. Of course she had received training for it from Muzu, but she was definitely lacking in that area. She wouldn't be surprised if Murphy were able to overpower her with just his bare hands. But it would be one hell of a struggle for him considering she has claw-like finger nails and razor sharp teeth. He might have more strength than her from his size, but she has extra weapons. Mipha almost wanted him to swing first, just so that she was justified in hurting him.

She shook the thought of severely injuring the Hylian away angrily. Either way, Murphy deserved some kind of punishment. Mipha's anger boiled over as she shoved the man away shouting, "get your dirty hands off of me!"

He took a step back saying, "hey now don't be like that. Ol' Murphy is just messing around." Mipha crossed her arms to cover herself up. She saw now why Link had been so insistent on her taking a jacket with her. She regretted not listening to him as she glared angrily at Murphy.

She was about to retort when Link stepped in between them and faced Murphy saying, "Then why not mess around with someone your own size."

Silence fell through out the training grounds when Mipha's voice rose above everyone else's. The skirmishes stopped and everyone looked over. Gilan even stopped his speech and looked over angrily at Murphy. He saw Link step in between Murphy and Mipha and he let a huge smile onto his face. He knew that a fight was coming, a real one, and he wasn't just gonna miss the chance to see Link let out his anger on someone.

Link leaned against the ramparts and stared intently into Murphy's eyes. The man stopped and just chuckled to himself.

"More my size?" He asked in mildly shocked disbelief, "You're barely any taller than her! Step aside commoner, this isn't any of your business. Shouldn't you be shining someone's shoes or something? Mine are right here if you don't mind." Murphy gestured down at his own dirt covered greaves.

Anger surged through Link's system but he made sure not to show it. He thought to himself, any more comments like that and Murphy will be eating his shoes. He had seen Murphy try and grab at Mipha and Link was furious. He had intended to stop that before it happened but was just a couple seconds too late.

Link was fine with Murphy insulting him; he'd usually just scold him and send him on midnight missions for months. But he was insulting the one person that had ever made him feel relaxed. Murphy was grabbing at the woman that had confessed her love to him. Link was furious that anyone would even think about trampling on his beloved's pride.

He cursed at himself internally and glanced back at Mipha. His heart threatened to break in two as he saw how embarrassed she looked. Mipha had her arms crossed perpendicularly across her sternum—covering herself up. Link had tried to get her to cover up with a jacket or something before they'd come out. He knew how many Hylian men would think when they saw the way Zora's s dressed. Mipha was looking at the ground with a frown. Her eyes looked like they wanted to shed a tear but a raging fire burned in her pupils. Link couldn't quite tell which expression it was, but he still hated to see her so vulnerable.

Mipha looked up to Link instinctively. She ignored the looks from everyone else as she saw him standing directly in between her and Murphy. She felt oddly safer already, especially with the sudden caring expression on his face.

"You okay?" Link asked her softly.

Mipha glanced at the man behind Link saying, "I'll be fine, but I doubt he will." She gave Link a curt nod and he grinned.

He turned his head back down to Murphy who had an expression of seething anger as he stared at the short man in front of him.

Link stepped closing saying, "do you know what that colour of blue she wears means?"

"That she is a diplomat? You tell me, smartass." Murmurs rippled through the excited spectators as Murphy insulted Mipha and Link again.

Link spoke with a menacing grin, "I'll teach you what that colour means. You know I used to wear it too, I still can if I so choose. You know she could kill you where you stand and you wouldn't be able to do a thing about it. And she isn't even in her home turf."

Link stepped forward and looked to Gilan saying, "a sparring match you said? Let's move up the timetable." He looked to Murphy saying, "I'm your new partner."

Murphy chuckled and then laughed saying, "You're kidding right? You expect me to fight a kid? I can't do that!"

"If you can grab at a random woman and try to justify it, you can fight a 'child.' Now get over there." Link pointed to the open arena square.

Murphy glanced over at the square and shrugged his shoulders saying, "Fine whatever. I won't be the one paying for your medical bills."

As they walked over to the arena square Link spoke not-so-conspicuously to Gilan saying, "you know that pot of rupees you have as a bet for who could take me down?" Gilan nodded his response to Link. "Good. If this lowlife manages to take down Link, he gets the entire pot. If not, you throw him into the street and never let him back into this castle." Link was about to step into the square and clarified himself, "actually if he loses, don't throw him out of the castle, arrest him for assault, battery, and treason."

Link grinned ominously at Murphy. The front heavy man noticed how the smile never touched Link's eyes. He glared at Murphy as his face drained of colour at the list of crimes.

Gilan smiled brightly saying, "Gladly Link. He's all yours." All the other guards crowded around the square and Gilan waved over the offended Zora.

Mipha walked over and Gilan started to bring her to the front of the crowd.

"You don't want to miss this."

Link stepped over the small stones that marked the square and looked at the suddenly very small man that stood in front of him. He asked softly and quietly, "treason?" The words were just loud enough to be heard by everyone—but Link wasn't going easy on Murphy.

Link put a hand to his ear and asked, "Sorry, what was that?" When Link didn't hear any response from the bow terrified Murphy, he took a step towards him and shouted at the top of his lungs.

"SPEAK UP!"

Mipha jumped at the sudden magnitude of anger in Link's voice. She'd never seen someone contain their fury for so long. He rarely spoke with others and she'd never seen him angry, let alone furious. She assumed the same was with the crowd of spectators he had as they all took a step back in fear at Link's sudden outburst.

Murphy stood well over fifteen feet away from Link, but still visibly jumped at the sudden authority of the figure before him. He noticed how the new captain followed the short fellow's orders without any reluctance.

Murphy spoke out of fear, louder this time, asking, "T-Treason?"

"Treason, sir." Link held his soul-piercing gaze as he spoke. He removed his wool hat and let his longer hair flow free as he promptly threw the hat out of the arena. He looked back at Murphy with a fake expression of surprise saying, "oh? You do know that threatening a royal figure is considered high treason, don't you?"

The man nodded and then froze. He seemed to move mechanically as he gaze slid towards Mipha in horror. Murphy had not realized who she was; he had thought she was just a visitor coming to watch the training fights. He looked back to Link in absolute terror.

Link grinned as he jerked his head towards her saying, "she's royalty."

Link removed his jacket and tossed it outside the arena to clearly show off his Zora armour. He rather enjoyed the looks of awe from the warriors around him. He dusted the blue and silver plating off saying, "that means I'm royalty."

Murphy stared in horror as he realized who he was talking to. He hadn't recognize him in the odd clothing but he could clearly tell now that this was Link, the personal guard to the princess and the greatest swordsman in the realm. Murphy had pissed him off, and had now found himself in a sparring match with him. It was now that Murphy realized what he'd really done. He had heard that Link was coming back with a feminine companion. It hadn't clicked in the grotesque man's head that he was actually speaking to a princess or the significant other to Link. His spine chilled as he looked back up at the suddenly intimidating figure in front of him.

Link wanted to get his hands on Murphy right away but kept trying to prove his lesson. This man would serve as deterrence to anyone else who would dare act like he did. It wasn't long until Murphy realized this either.

The perverted man fell to his feet, clasping his hands together pleading to Link, "please! I didn't realize who she was! Or who you were!"

"Oh? So you only go after those who you don't think can defend themselves? What a gentleman." Link frowned even deeper as he realized how easy it was to say "gentleman" through grit teeth.

Murphy looked up helplessly over his hands and at the defiant young man in front of him. He stood up shakily in terror. He turned around, looking for a way out of this predicament. He got an idea and tried to leave the square, pushing through the crowd of guards. But without need of Link's orders, they all forcibly shoved Murphy back into the square. It was like he had pushed against a spring and was flung back towards the Hylian Champion. Murphy stood near the centre of the circle hunched over with a horrified expression.

Link rolled his eyes while saying, "For Christ's sake… give me a sword." He didn't look away from Murphy as he held out his hand to Gilan—who quickly handed him a wooden training sword. Link tested the weight and tossed it between his hands before flawlessly performing a sequence of strikes in the air in front of him. He looked at it saying, "It will do."

He looked at Murphy and tossed the sword to him saying, "Now, pick it up."

The wooden sword scraped along the ground and tapped against his foot. The circle of spectators went silent as they all held their breath. Link was giving Murphy the upper hand at the start of the battle. However, they all still knew how boned Murphy was.

Murphy himself didn't even believe in his chances. He stood with his knees pointed inwards and touching each other. He had his hands wrapped in each other in front of his chest as he quivered in his boots. He looked back up at Link but was too afraid to move. He saw the large intake of breath that Link was going to use to boom his voice again. The man was galvanized into action, frantically scrambling for the sword.

He eventually got a hand around it and looking at Link asking, "Where's your sword?"

"Don't need it."

Link started to slowly circle Murphy as the man gained a little bit of confidence. He had the sword, Link wasn't even armed. He scanned Link's apparel and asked, "What about helmets?"

Link shrugged saying, "if you want a fair fight then take yours off."

Murphy clapped a hand onto his helm defensively saying, "No!"

Link shrugged at the immediate response. He cracked his knuckles saying, "Are we ready then? Because this is literally a fight for your right to live."

Murphy looked at his sword and gripped it with both hands nervously. He looked at the boy opposing him and squinted thinking that he'd never actually seen him fight. He only knew about stories that had been so hyperbolized that he didn't even believe any of them. Confidence began to flitter back into Murphy's mind as his mind continued to race. What if this was actually just a boy and he was bluffing this entire time? Was it just one huge initiation prank—or even a test? Murphy stood taller and steadier as he scanned the boy more; he was small and wouldn't have any strength. And he had no sword. An easy fight Murphy thought with a smirk.

Link bounced easily on his toes as he circled Murphy. He inched closer and closer, waiting for Murphy's impatience or ego to overcome wit. It doesn't matter since the outcome will be the same; and Link knew it would eventually happen. In fact, it was ego that struck out first. Murphy stepped forward with the sword and swung downwards vertically swiftly. Link sidestepped it easily and watched the man stumble past him. He swiftly kicked the back of his left knee and watched Murphy fall flat on his stomach. Link said, "Is that it? You're not getting off that easily."

Mipha watched as Murphy rose to his feet. She almost felt bad for the embarrassment the man was receiving. But her feeling of pity disappeared as she remembered how embarrassed she felt when the man prodded at her and kept insulting her. And then he had insulted Link. Mipha let out a small smile as Link back stepped a horizontal swing. _It is high treason. He'd be sentenced no matter what._

Link back stepped and then spun neatly to the right as the man followed through with a lunge. He struck out for the first time and slammed a fist into the mans jaw, feeling an intense vibration through his arm and shoulder as it connected. The man stumbled and almost fell onto his side as he held his jaw in pain. Link would be surprised if he hadn't broken something with the force he'd put into it. In fact Link may have broken one of his own fingers. He ignored the slight tingling sensation as Murphy began to stir.

He stood up and spoke with heavily slurred words, "you roke my raw!"

"Good, that's enough catcalling for you anyway." The crowd roared encouragement as they battled away. Murphy swung again out of anger, his sword slamming down into the concrete as Link sidestepped yet again.

Link had enjoyed the solid connection to the pervert's jaw. Maybe he was enjoying humiliating the twisted soul a little too much. Or maybe it was just the feeling for revenge. Either way, Link wanted to hurt this man. Not enough to be cruel, in fact if Murphy surrendered Link wouldn't touch him. But as he dodged another vertical swing he decided enough was enough.

Link stepped towards Murphy. He was to the right of Murphy as he grabbed the hilt of the sword with both hands. They both grappled with each other for a second while they hunched over. In the mere test of strength, Link _may_ have actually lost this fight. Murphy was much taller than Link which would give him more leverage in the downward angle. Link was sure that if Murphy were shorter he'd be able to rip the little sword from his grubby hands. Either way Link had only an inkling of doubt in this specific scenario as he was stronger than the average Hylian. He wasn't going to take the chance that Murphy might get lucky in a grapple so Link began to look for another option.

Link looked up away from the sword for half a second. His eyes settled on the open metal visor that lay on Murphy's helmet. He grinned as he let go of the sword.

Murphy stumbled forward for a second as the tension suddenly disappeared. He looked up as he felt two hands grab his visor. He saw the grinning face of his opponent. His eyes grew wide in realization and he shook his head by a minuscule. Link ignored the pitiful plead for mercy as he rammed the visor down as hard as he could.

The clang of metal on metal wasn't all that loud for Link or the crowd. But for Murphy, it was deafening. The sound echoed and bounced off the inside of the helmet. He slammed his hands up to his head and groaned in pain. His ears were ringing as he slid up his visor again.

Link was surprised in how quick Murphy recovered from the earsplitting sound. He shrugged it off and stepped closer to the despicable man.

Murphy was still hunched forward as he finally began to recover his hearing. He was breathing heavily as he put his hands on his knees. He exasperatedly looked up at Link and froze in amazement. Link wasn't even breathing heavy at all. He was completely calm and collected as he stared with contempt at Murphy. In fact, Murphy barely had time to react as Link surged forward towards him.

Link grabbed the back of Murphy's armour and forced his knee upwards. Link's kneecap made very clear connection to the cartilage in Murphy's nose. Murphy recoiled in pain and surprise but Link slammed a heel down onto the man's right boot, keeping him in place. Link then grabbed hold of Murphy's right wrist with his left hand. In an instant, Link's right hand was also on Murphy's bicep. Then he simply took the pressure off of Murphy's boot and twisted his torso to the left.

Murphy sailed over Link's back and landed heavily on the ground, being winded instantly. Link leaned down and picked up the wooden sword.

"Learnt your lesson yet?"

Murphy grunted and rolled onto his stomach. He looked defeated in every way. His spirit was crushed as the crowd continued to cheer for his demise. His body felt crushed as everything began to ache. He was shaking visibly with strain as he slowly pushed himself up onto his knees. He couldn't give up now. If he did, he'd be tried for treason. Every trial for treason ends in a single verdict: Guilty. Suddenly, galvanized by the thought of his own death, Murphy regained his breath and surged forward, attempting to tackle Link.

Although Link was not expecting this, he was still able to react on the spot and slid to the left. He did so while slashing the wood harshly against Murphy's ribs. Murphy fell over onto his back and laid there gasping for air. Link stood over him and pointed the hardened wood at Murphy's now broken nose. He said, "You're finished."

Murphy raised his hands and whimpered to himself. Link rolled his eyes and tossed the sword away saying, "Oh stop with that. We both know you would have gotten arrested even if I wasn't here."

Link stalked away towards Gilan and said aloud, "someone arrest this man, you all know the charges."

Gilan nodded to the men to do so and two of them hauled Murphy to his feet. Link said in a quieter tone, "I never want to have to do that again. Be careful who you take in as a recruit."

"I will, thank you Link."

"I lied; I actually kind of wanted to do that." Link spoke now with a guilty grin.

Mipha slid her arms around Link from behind saying, "I kind of wanted to also, but I liked seeing how you handled it."

Link grinned as he held onto her hands. He didn't want to let her go. The thought of someone having the gall to grab at her was insulting and infuriating. He shook the depressing thoughts of his head.

"I arrested him for a fair trial; I bet you would have ended up killing him in self defence." Mipha grinned a little at Link's remark.

She pondered and then voiced her thoughts, "Maybe."

"Maybe? You totally would have."

"Yeah… I probably would have."

Gilan looked around at the dispersing guards and back at his old boss who had always been a good friend.

He said, "Well either way I think we can agree that Murphy got what he deserved. I didn't expect him to disobey a direct order."

Mipha pressed her head into the back of Link's shoulder. Her words were slightly muffled as she said, "add it to the list of crimes."

Gilan shook his head at the young couple in front of him. "I can see why you stay silent so often Link. Because when you speak, you really show how you feel."

Link looked down for a second asking, "Did I go too hard on him?"

Gilan raised an eyebrow saying, "I don't think so, he really needed that lesson beat into him."

Gilan jumped as he remembered he reason for the fight. He looked down at Mipha saying, "I'm terribly sorry about what happened. I'll never know what it's like to go through an experience like that and hope you'll find it in your heart to forgive us for Murphy's actions."

Mipha looked up from behind the safety she felt from Link saying, "just seeing him being carried off was enough to forgive it all."

Mipha shifted her focus to Link yet again. She was having trouble staying away from him now. She grinned to herself as she passed her hands over the Zora armour. _Why didn't I ask him sooner?_

Gilan looked over as the guards all began reassembling themselves in lines. He sighed knowing that the line was completely wrong and out of order again. He rubbed his eyes brows saying, "I've got to go, if I don't see you off then have safe travels."

Mipha looked up to Gilan and gave her thanks as he strode away. The second that Link motioned to move forward, Mipha ran to his side. She wrapped her arms around his right arm and they both strode off towards the map table to finish planning the route back to Zora's Domain.


	12. Motives

A couple hours had passed after the incident with Murphy. Link sat with Mipha outside of the throne room. They were on a couple of stairs that lead up to the throne itself. It was an intersection of four hallways: one lead to the keep door that was in front of them. Opposite of it was the throne room. The other two hallways just lead to different parts of the castle.

The large door ahead of them was made with thick pieces of wood that were bound together with steel. On the other side of it, Link knew that Epona was already able to move. He and Mipha sat silently with each other as they waited for time to pass. Link wasn't sure if the King was ready to send them off yet. So he was waiting for a messenger or any other indication that they were ready to leave.

Link was bored since he was unable to work on any guard duty or supervision. Mipha had noticed and made sure to keep him company, but they couldn't do anything sufficient with how little time they had before they would leave Hyrule castle.

Link and Mipha sat in the dead silence. She never knew how to break out of silence without being awkward. She looked at Link; he sat in deep thought. He had his elbows resting on his knees. His hands were clasped together with his fingers interwoven with each other. He rested his head on his hands as he stared off into blank space. Mipha thought he looked much like a gargoyle as he continued to go over the plan for the road.

Mipha jumped out of her thoughts when she heard Zelda shout out both of their names. Mipha smiled and reluctantly let go of Link's arm as he stood up. She stepped over and hugged Zelda with a smile. Link realized it was just Zelda and slowly sat back down cautiously. After the incident with Murphy he was still a little on edge. He took a deep breath and looked at his brand new shield. He noticed a speck of dirt on it. He frowned at the benign spot on the front of the shield. He shook his head as he wondered how it even got on there. He shrugged and began to wipe it off. He kept shining it incessantly as it finally gave him something to do. This let Mipha and Zelda speak for a moment.

Mipha opened her mouth first, but Zelda was the one who spoke first.

"I heard what happened in the courtyard. Are you okay?"

Mipha nodded politely saying, "Don't worry about that, it's not your fault."

Zelda let out a sigh of relief but tried not to show it. She couldn't have the princess of the Zora's blaming the Hylian crown for Murphy's actions. However, Zelda still felt overly apologetic for Murphy's actions. She spoke with an accompanying tone, "well I would still like to apologize for his behaviour, we've never had this happen in Hyrule Castle before. I've also heard a lot of talk about Link from the guards recently. Was it that bad of a beat down?"

Zelda glanced back at Link as he sat patiently and wiped at the new shield. Zelda suspected him of listening in on their conversation and she squinted at him. She stopped when she remembered that he wouldn't dare eavesdrop on a conversation between two members of royalty—even if they are his best friend and girlfriend. Zelda looked back at Mipha as she saw her move slightly.

Mipha grinned as she remembered the humiliation of Murphy. "Link only hurt him when he kept getting back up."

Zelda rolled her eyes saying, "He probably shouldn't have stepped in. You could have handled it by yourself."

"I could have. But I'm not the best without a weapon."

Zelda tilted her head thoughtfully, it made sense she guessed. Either way she wasn't going to press for any answers. Mipha looked back up with her large, golden eyes.

She continued in a quieter voice, "I actually enjoyed it. I've never had anyone protect me before, especially not with that amount of emotion." Mipha blushed as she glanced back at Link.

Zelda raised an eyebrow saying, "He's got quite a voice on him when he needs it. I had a feeling it wasn't my father's voice that had rung through the castle walls earlier."

Zelda grinned at her over-emphasis. She knew that she was half the reason that all of the stories about Link were so out of proportion. She had too much fun telling stories to children and describing battles to adults. Her smile dampened slightly as she realized how similar she was to her father. She looked back down at Mipha as she responded about Link's authority.

Mipha agreed with Zelda. "It's quite impressive. I never would have expected it from someone who stays silent most of the time."

Zelda nodded and decided to change the topic hastily. She wanted to ask Mipha this before they left. She spoke in a similarly hushed voice, "How's he been treating you?"

Mipha looked up at Zelda in surprise. She squinted slightly at the question. Zelda hadn't expected the accusing state from the small Zora. She was actually surprised that Mipha was so defensive of Link.

Zelda took half a step back saying, "Sorry, I just wanted to be sure he wasn't a Murphy in disguise…"

Mipha saw the reasoning and slowly nodded. She still felt slightly provoked from the insult to her Champion but she forced the feeling away.

"I understand that. And thank you for the concern, but he's had plenty of chances and hasn't tried to grab me like _he_ did." Mipha hissed the word that she had used to refer to Murphy with.

Zelda raised an eyebrow as Mipha blushed more. She hadn't realized how Mipha had been treating Link. Zelda leaned forward with her hands on her hips. She grinned and asked, "You've been testing him?"

Mipha didn't respond but just looked down shyly at the ground. She shifted her feet and nodded ever so slightly to Zelda.

She let a large smile open across her face and asked hurriedly, "And?"

"And what?"

Zelda huddled closer so that Link wouldn't hear them. She asked hurriedly, "Well, how does he react? Because I noticed you never slept in any of the guest rooms."

Mipha opened her mouth but shut it again as she felt her cheeks burning brightly. She took a second to compose herself. She chose her next words extremely carefully.

"He hasn't tried anything… but he doesn't shy away either. And I'll have you know, I didn't want to go into a guest room by myself. I didn't feel as safe."

Mipha looked up to Zelda as her pale cheeks began to match the red skin on the sides of her head. Zelda smiled caringly saying, "Okay, maybe I shouldn't have asked. I know he wouldn't be like that."

Mipha nodded saying, "I would think that's a wise observation. But I trust him. For some reason after last night, after being so close to him for so long, I feel more comfortable than ever around him. And the whole situation with Murphy…" Mipha drifted off and crossed her arms around her chest and looked down at the thought of the perverted man.

Mipha shivered and then shook her head. She let her arms relax saying, "Well it's quite embarrassing actually." She looked up at Zelda, who just nodded for her to go on.

Mipha smiled nervously saying, "I... I actually liked him protecting me. I may be the Zora Champion, but I have my own Champion. I…" Mipha looked down and scuffed her feet along the ground whispering, "I've never had anyone that has _wanted_ to protect me like that before." Mipha purposefully avoided saying 'other than my father'at the end of her sentence.

Zelda looked down at the female Zora and glanced at Link as she whispered, "I don't have any experience myself, but it seems like you two have something really special. Because I know that Link feels the exact same way you do. He would travel around the world for his friends; I can't even imagine what he would do for the girl he cares most for."

Mipha hated how easily flustered she was as she glanced back at Link. She quickly averted her gaze as he stirred. He looked up out of a sixth sense and saw the flutter of movement from Mipha. She didn't want him to see her cherry red cheeks at the moment. He shrugged off the notion and went back to unnecessary polishing.

She looked back up at Zelda before saying, "Well, I think seeing him put that pervert in his place is just the start of things."

Zelda grinned sheepishly. "It wasn't the start," Zelda leaned in and whispered even more quietly, "You absolutely could have taken the river when we came here. He wanted you in the saddle with him for a reason."

Mipha looked up surprised. "What?!" She exclaimed, louder than she had intended. She turned around as Link stirred behind her. She smiled awkwardly at him as he stood up suddenly in alarm. She apologetically stated, "Sorry."

She saw the alarm fade from his eyes as his body relaxed. He slowly rested himself back onto the stairs. Once Mipha was sure he wasn't looking or listening anymore, she turned back to Zelda. She continued in a quieter tone, "He did? He wanted me with him?"

Zelda smiled fondly and nodded saying, "He will take any chance to get close to you, any chance to hear your voice. On the entire ride here, I could swear that he looked at you more than he did the road ahead of us." Mipha twiddled with, and rubbed, her fingers fondly at the thought. She didn't know what Link's comfort zone was like. He was always so silent and mysterious which made people avoid getting too close to him. But now Mipha knew that he enjoyed being close with her.

Zelda noticed the subconscious motion of Mipha's hands and said, "I thought you'd like to hear that. Trust me when I say that he will treat you right. Just make sure to return the favour, will you?"

Mipha looked up and nodded saying, "I will, don't worry."

Zelda stood up straighter saying, "good, because he's like a brother that I never had. I would hate for his heart to be broken." Zelda stared at Link for a second but shook her head, looking back to Mipha. She said fondly, "you should probably get back to him. My father is outside waiting to see you two of anyways."

Mipha nodded but before she could turn around Zelda stopped. She spoke with a playful expression, "and I liked the trick with the wine. I might have to use that sometime."

Mipha looked back with a gasp, not realizing Zelda had seen that incident. Zelda smiled and placed a finger over her lips. She whispered, "I won't tell him. I'll meet you outside."

Zelda spun lightly on her heels and strode away towards the large double doors. As she opened them and exited the keep, golden sunlight filtered through. It cascaded through the hall as Zelda's footsteps echoed one last time. The large oak doors closed with a click behind her—cutting off the golden light.

Mipha recomposed herself and took a deep breath. She tried to flush the red out of her cheeks from her conversation with Zelda. Mipha noticed how she blushed all too often, wondering if she blushed too easily. She shook the thought away and gave Link the benefit of the doubt. She looked down and straightened her silk scarf, making sure it was tied properly around her waist and above her shoulder. She didn't show off as much of her body as a normal Zora, but she liked the way she looked with the silk and silver jewellery. She stopped fussing over her looks as she realized she might be overdoing it. She shrugged the thought away and turned back to Link.

She strode over gracefully and sat beside Link. She didn't realize it, but she being a little more demure in style than usual.

Link asked without looking away from his shield, "What was that all about?" He had noticed how they had been quietly talking most of the time. He wasn't trying to listen in, but when the only sound in the room is their conversation it's hard not to block it out. He never noticed any of the words, just the change of volume from friendly to secretive. His curiosity was getting the better of him.

Mipha looked at him nervously, too embarrassed to explain that she'd been rattling on about her feelings for him. She stammered saying, "Well we… I… we spoke of…"

Link looked over with a raised eyebrow at the suddenly flustered Zora. He noticed her nervous body language and decided the answer wasn't worth knowing. He exhaled sharply followed by a light chuckle. He stopped shining his new Hylian shield and put his right arm around Mipha.

She let out a soft, mellifluous _oh!_ as Link lightly pulled her so that she slid slightly until their thighs touched. She leaned gratefully onto him and looked up at him lovingly. She didn't have the courage to do that herself. But she still enjoyed being as close to him as possible. Little did she know, Link was having very similar thoughts. He looked down slightly at her with a smile saying, "You don't have to tell me."

Mipha leaned her head forward to rest it on Link's shoulder. He tilted his head to the right to rest it on hers too. Mipha looked at the shield as she pressed her hands gently on the form fitting armour that she'd given to Link. The blue fronted shield seemed to gleam in the torchlight. She smiled softly as she lost herself in thoughts and daydreams. _It's a shield meant for a hero._ She stopped daydreaming as she realized most of what she had wished for was coming true.

Mipha looked up slightly at the large double doors, knowing they should be going soon. But she didn't want this moment to end.

She sighed heavily and hesitantly leaned back up saying, "we should be heading out." Link looked at her with a feeling of disappointment. It seems they can't get all that much time alone in this world. No time where they can just have a couple moments where they can take a breather. Not being chased by Dark Link or being pestered by lowly guards. He sighed deeply and said, "We should. Shouldn't we?"

She nodded and stood up, dusting off her silk and hauling Link to his feet. She noticed him slightly pull his hand away at first and she looked at it more closely as he slung his shield around his back.

She grabbed it suddenly and, in a worried tone, said, "did you punch a wall or something?!" Most of his hand was bruised and the base of his ring finger was slightly swollen. He hadn't been wearing the gloves and had coincidentally not looked at; even when he shining his shield, he had been using his forearm to hold the shield with the inside strap. Actually, he wasn't able to remember if he had just avoided using it or pushed the pain out of mind like usual. Maybe it was due to the fact that he didn't want to inconvenience her with asking for the healing. He always felt guilty when she needed to heal him. But little did he know; Mipha very much enjoyed taking care of her Champion.

Link looked at his injured hand and spoke nonchalantly, "oh that? That's what happens when you decide to punch someone who's wearing a metal helmet." Link grinned at the memory of feeling Murphy's jaw breaking beneath his fingers. He jumped back into reality as a needle of pain shot from his hand.

"Hey! Careful!"

Mipha looked up softly at him. "You could have told me about this you know."

Link simply shrugged as Mipha gently wrapped her hands around his saying, "I didn't notice it until now."

Mipha simply hummed _mhmm_ , assuming that he had just not wanted to reveal any injury. She knew how much he hated to show any kind of weakness to someone. She quickly began healing it while saying, "You could have made him remove the helmet beforehand you know."

Link stepped down the last step towards Mipha saying, "I could have, but either way it was worth it."

Mipha smiled at the memory saying, "It was, wasn't it?"

She shook her head and let go of Link's hand saying, "There. Good as new."

He flexed his fingers and nodded his thanks to her and looked at the large double doors. Link sighed as he looked at the iron-studded wood.

"Time to hit the road again."

Mipha nodded and looked up at the intimidating doors. An idea fluttered into her head as gently as a butterfly. She looked sheepishly at Link for moment. He was looking at the doors, thinking about the plan for the trip once again. Mipha raised her hands nervously up near her chest and shimmied towards Link to stand beside him. The top of her left hip gently gazed the middle of his right. She looked up expectantly at him.

To her disappointment, Link barely moved as he stared longer at the door. Unknowingly to her, he was lost in thought about any possible dangers along the allotted path. He rolled through the plan over and over in his head, trying to find a mistake. He wanted to protect Mipha and his guards as much as possible and wouldn't let a foolish mistake endanger them. He hadn't even noticed Mipha's adorable shimmy or her expectant look.

Mipha rolled her eyes slightly in annoyance and looked back to him. The feeling immediately faded and she decided she was going to be the courageous one this time. She unclasped her hands from on over her sternum and looked down timidly at Link's arm. She said to herself, "Screw it."

Mipha reached down and grabbed Link's arm. She pulled it gently up and around her back. She passed it from one hand to the other as she placed his hand gently on her hip. As she did so, she pressed gently into Link, making sure to get his attention. She looked up at him with a sheepish grin. She saw his embarrassed smile and a growing red flame in his cheeks.

She rested her head on his shoulder saying, "It's okay to make the first move sometimes you know."

Link scoffed with a smile. He readjusted his hand ever so slightly while saying, "But one wrong move and I'm just another Murphy." Mipha smiled softly at him.

She bat her eyelids provocatively saying, "Not with me you wouldn't be. And trust me; I'll let you know what I think."

Link studied her face and revelled for a second in her beauty. He let out a silent laugh. "Okay, I'll be a little more forward with you." Mipha kept her look of joy as Link tightened the grip of his hand on her hip by a miniscule. The royal couple strode towards the large doors.

Link looked down at Mipha. He decided to take her recent advice and asked, "so what about another ride on Epona?" He waited for her response with high hopes.

Mipha blushed slightly remembering what Zelda had told her about the ride to Hyrule. She looked up while speaking innocently.

"I'll give it another go."

* * *

Mipha regretted the first few minutes of the ride on Epona again. Link walked the horse around the small courtyard in the castle to get Epona warmed up for the long ride. He had strapped his new shield on the horse's chest again and kept his arrows strapped to his thigh. He wasn't going to let another situation of him falling off Epona happen again. If it were to happen, at least this time he would have the ability to utilize his arrows. Link lightly pulled on the reins for half a second and Epona gently came to a stop. The hooves stopped echoing off of the flagstones as they came to a halt near the rest of the caravan.

Link looked back at Mipha and saw her open her large golden eyes slowly. "Getting the hang of it again?"

Mipha hissed at him saying, "as long as we don't get into a chase like last time, I'll be fine. And this time… stay in the saddle." Link smiled at her harshness. He didn't take the snappy response to heart knowing how Mipha thought about riding horses. He was initially surprised-and delighted-that she had agreed to ride with him again. He drifted back into Hyrule as he saw Zelda walking over towards them.

"Enjoying yourselves?" Zelda said heartily as she strode over. She stopped and placed a hand on her hip looking up at the couple. Mipha looked over before Link did. She saw Zelda wink at her. Mipha suddenly felt very tired of Zelda's perverted humour and dirty mind. Suddenly Mipha wondered if Link's mind was in the gutter too. She squinted her eyes and knew she was gonna have to test him for that too.

Mipha looked at Zelda and forgot for a second that she was pressed up against Link as she said, "Not yet I'm not."

Zelda raised an eyebrow as Link turned around. He looked further back at Mipha and repeated, "Yet?" He turned as far as he could to look at Mipha. "So you do enjoy this?"

Mipha smiled confidently saying, "I wouldn't go as far to say that." She rubbed her hands slightly against Link's chest and held herself closer. She suddenly felt very selfish as she sat with him. "Well… I do enjoy parts of it." Link smiled as their eyes met. They both snapped their attention back to Zelda as she cleared her throat.

She put her hands behind her back as she said, "Anyways… you'll be leaving as soon as all the guards get mounted and ready to move. You know the plan, Link, so I won't repeat it. Hylia knows you've probably gone over it a hundred times already."

Zelda stepped closer as she continued speaking to him. "You may not be my personal guard anymore, but you'll always have a place in Hyrule Castle. You're a legend around here you know. I doubt it will take too long for you to become one in Zora's Domain either."

Mipha glanced at Zelda saying, "I'll make sure he gets lots of chances to show his prowess."

Zelda nodded her thanks to the Zoran. "Well that's all I wanted to say." She bowed deeply to them both saying, "we are thankful for your visit to Hyrule castle Mipha. We hope that it exceeded your expectations. We also hope that _your Champion_ behaves himself." Zelda playfully glared at Link as she said his title.

Mipha smiled and said, "He will. Otherwise he will have to answer to me. Isn't that right, Link?"

"Don't worry, I know how to treat royalty if that's what you mean."

"But do you know how to _be_ royalty?" Link shut his mouth at her question.

To be honest, he didn't know how to be a royal figure. Of course he'd been around Zelda to see it, but she never acted like royalty around him. He frowned as he realized he had a lot to learn. He looked at Zelda helplessly as he struggled to find an answer.

Zelda ignored the pleading gaze. She spun on her heels and waved while shouting, "Safe travels!"


	13. Travelers Path vs Royal Path

Mipha found the ride up until now to be rather boring. She watched the guards keep a tight lookout and perimeter around them as they travelled. They were walking along a dirt road towards Zora's domain. It was mid evening, Mipha guessed, as she glanced up at the sun for the hundredth time. She sighed and leaned forward, resting herself against Link yet again. She let her body relax as much as she could as she kept a firm grip around Link's torso. She had been tense for a while, but not nearly as much as the day before. Fortunately, she was actually starting to get the hang of riding a horse. She just had to move with the saddle instead of against it.

Link placed his free hand on the lower part of Mipha's thigh as he leaned back. "How are we doing back there?"

Mipha barely noticed his touch as she responded saying, "much better than yesterday. It helps when we aren't being chased."

Link smiled and he looked back to the road ahead of them. He wasn't scanning the area though, they could see for miles around them and his guards were already on a constant lookout. He looked back for a second again. "Good because we should be getting close to the Zora patrol. The hand-off should be in about an hour or so."

Mipha leaned forward asking, "So… what is the plan again?" She grinned sheepishly as she asked the question, knowing the long explanation would keep Link talking.

She liked being able to feel the vibrations in his chest as he spoke. She wriggled around slightly and pressed her chest closer against him to feel the vibrations more clearly. She wondered for a second if Link could feel her breasts pressed up against him through the armour. Mipha leaned back slightly at the paranoid thought. She shook her head and leaned fully against him again. _There's no way. But if he did… what harm could it do?_ Mipha frowned as she realized it was her mind that was in the gutter—not Link's.

Link looked back at her question. She'd already asked him about the plan twice before. Each time he noticed that she tightened her around him. However, he didn't say anything in case she decided not to next time. He rather enjoyed the tight embrace. Link just shrugged his shoulders, he may as well explain it again as they would still be riding for a while through Zora territory.

As he guessed she would, Mipha readjusted her grip around him incessantly. Link felt an inexplicable feeling of bliss in how comfortable she felt around him recently. It wasn't only her that suddenly felt closer after their night together. And contrary to her belief, Link could not feel the softness of her chest as she pressed up against his back.

Link began explaining their situation. "Well, we are just gonna follow the quickest path to Zora's Domain. I would have preferred to go close to Goron City and take an out of the way path, but I doubt you'd want to go near there seeing as how you've been out of water for a while. But we are going to follow the road, and detour around any forests on the way there." He paused, tapping the hilt of the master sword, "and I'm keeping this slightly unsheathed so you can see if it ever begins to glow. If it does, I have no doubts that it would be reacting to Dark Link or a creature of darkness. If he appears, we will make a run for it as our _valiant_ escorts will slow him down." Link stressed the word valiant, knowing that all the guards were undoubtedly listening to the conversation.

"Once we reach the rough beginning of the trail to Zora's Domain, the Hylian guard will turn us over to a group of Zoran guards that will escort us the rest of the way. That will ensure that no one is being overworked and there is equal cooperation between our two kingdoms." Mipha smiled at the idea of it all. But her smile faded slightly as the vibrations on her hands stopped. She was about to ask Link another question to keep him talking when a guard interrupted them.

She looked over Link's shoulder and saw a guard pointing ahead of the path. "There's an overturned caravan up ahead! Be on your guard!"

The guard that pointed it out immediately spurred her horse towards the burned carriage to inspect it.

It took less than a minute for her to turn around and give the "all clear" whistle. Link spurred Epona gently towards the caravan. It was blackened by fire and anything of value was stolen. Link was pleased to see there weren't any bodies with the wreckage. But there were no doubts that this was most likely the work of the Yiga clan. Sure, it might have been bandits, but it was improbable in the current scenario.

The Yiga clan has no current goal. They were supposed to kill Zelda and the Champions so that Ganon would be able to come back freely and easily. But they'd failed, and now their almighty figure was banished. However, they were still outlawed as criminals—for good reason. But now they were being more aggressive. They were striking out almost as blindly as the creatures of Ganon. Link frowned as he realized that the Yiga's had even less leadership then the Bokoblins and Lizalfos. They willingly and confidently followed Dark Link, where the Yiga members would need proof that he was a minion for Ganon. It wasn't easy to convince a Yiga member to follow someone that wasn't Ganon himself.

Link shook his head as the smell of burnt cloth drifted back to him.

"There's nothing we can do about this. Let's just go past and report it to the locals after we get to the Zora's." the guard nodded to him as she clambered on her horse and sped up to retake her position at the front of the pack.

As they passed the caravan, Mipha recognized the smell of burnt wood and oil. She turned her head away in disgust and saw arrows strewn about, half of them already snapped in half. Link spoke ominously to her.

"Yiga. You can recognize the arrowheads. With the risk of Ganon's creatures attacking being slim, people have gotten a little more ambitious. There's more travellers and caravans now out on the, assumed to be safe, roads. That means the Yiga want to strike some fear back into people's hearts. That and any of the valuables a merchant might be hauling. We don't have enough soldiers to be able to patrol all the paths to prevent this either. I wish we had gotten here before the ashes had grown cold, but there isn't anything we can do now."

Mipha nodded sadly saying, "I know what you mean. There is nothing worse than having to standby helplessly while convincing yourself you could do something about it. But you can't. Even though you think you can—you can't."

Link looked down sadly saying, "I know. I just wish I could catch some of those responsible for the senseless attacks. Everyone is finally unified and yet there are still those who want to tear the kingdoms apart." Mipha agreed with him and readjusted her grip. She wished for the exact same thing.

* * *

It was mid evening when they met up with the Zora guards. Everyone shook hands and finalized the last phase of the route. The Hylian's and Zora's spoke freely, confidently and comfortably around each other. The two races have had many projects and good relations in the past. In fact, it was the Hylian's that helped construct the east reservoir dam for Zora's Domain. There was no reason for them to feel segregation or have any discrimination to the other race.

It wasn't long before the Hylian guards turned and began to make their way back to Hyrule castle as one unit. Link and Mipha continued forward with the Zora soldiers who stayed on foot. Link wasn't surprised; they never did ride horses here in Zora's domain.

It was a winding path towards the main palace. There were bridges riddled along the cliff sides that would lead to Zora's Domain. Link was sure that there would be some kind of enemy awaiting them. Whether it was a bandit or Dark Link himself, he was sure there was something lurking—waiting for them. Mipha noticed the sudden tenseness in Link's body. She looked around, she felt comfortably safe in her home territory. Not many had been attacked since Ganon was driven off. She had no reason to believe someone would risk staying near the path if they could be seen as a threat to the royal caravan anyways.

Mipha shrugged off the feeling and spoke softly to Link saying, "We're fine. You can relax." Link rolled his shoulders and didn't have any intention of relaxing.

"It doesn't hurt to be prepared."

One of the guards looked up at the paranoid Hylian. "We know this area like the colour of our fins. There's no need to worry about any attack." Link looked down at the guards with contempt. Half of them were socializing this entire time and seemed generally laid back. It annoyed Link that they were so relaxed when they were supposed to be on lookout. The Hylian transport had been on lookout the entire time. Not lounging off and trying to enjoy an escort mission.

Link shrank further into the saddle as some of the guards began complaining that they couldn't take the river back the domain. The sudden downpour of rain didn't help his attitude either. Link tried to take his focus off them and scanned the darkness around them.

Night had fallen quicker this night as thick clouds covered the setting sun. Semi-consciously, Link noticed that the master sword had slid snugly back into the sheath. He reached back and pulled it out slightly to reveal the blade. He wanted to keep it revealed at all times so that he knew if any of Ganon's minions were around. Link twitched when he pulled out the blade. He saw that it was already glowing an intense blue.

He shoved it back into the scabbard with considerable force as Mipha let out a small gasp. She asked in sudden seriousness, "How long has it-?"

"I don't know," Link said grimly.

He looked around frantically looking for immediate danger. When he saw no apparent signs he looked at the guards again. They hadn't noticed anything, and were still complaining. Link grit his teeth and but bit his tongue. He was angered at them but controlled his frustration. He looked back at Mipha and an idea formed in the back of his mind. He looked back at the guards saying, "You want to take the river so badly? Then take it. I'll continue by myself."

Link decided against going with the Zora's up the waterfalls. The armour would allow him to do so, but for that he'd need to abandon Epona. That was something he just wasn't willing to do. He'd have to die before he left one of his friends in the dust.

The Zora's looked up apologetically and hastily replied, "There's no need for that- "

Link dismounted suddenly and held out his hand for Mipha. He said as he stared at her confused face, "you never know what could be lurking out there." He touched the strap on his chest that held the master sword on his back and Mipha understood what he was doing. He needed to warn the guards about the ensuing trap they'd be walking into. But he wanted to convey the message without alerting any listening ears. Mipha took his hand and dismounted Epona hastily.

She landed lightly on her feet lightly and grabbed a hold of her trident. She looked back at the embarrassed guards while saying, "It'll be faster anyways."

One of the guards responded, "but it's our duty to-"

"To talk and not even look at the road?!" Link rubbed his eyes and calmed his frustration. He looked back up slowly and calmly saying, "Look…"

Link looked back at Epona and hastily unfastened the shield and strapped it onto his arm. He hoped the universal language of preparation would send his hidden message clearly to the guards. They all stared at him as he readjusted him equipment and took the lid off of his canister of arrows. It would be normal for a lone rider to keep equipment at the ready. But Link was getting battle ready. He already had his shield in hand and he kept his right hand free to grab the master sword at anytime. He spoke with a steady voice—the same voice he used when speaking to Murphy.

"Take the river."

The sudden change in pitch and intensity of his character made the Zora's perk up. They knew how to take orders, and Link had suddenly become an individual that they knew should be blindly obeyed. Even if they didn't know if it was out of fear or respect, they just didn't want to cross him. Link wasn't even aware of how suddenly he could change the mood with just his tone of voice. Either way, it got his point across.

He turned fully towards them and noticed they all had a firmer grip on their weapons. The leader of the guard was the one who was the calmest and most collected as he looked at Link. He nodded saying, "We'll get her back safely and quickly."

Link nodded his thanks as they turned away. He was still annoyed that only now was when they formed a protective circle around Mipha.

A thought raced across Link's mind as the company began to stride away. "Wait!" Link shouted. The Zora captain jumped out of fright and turned around inquisitively. Link noticed now why he had automatically known that the tall Zora was the leader. The man had two tridents, one in his hands, and one strapped on his back. All the other soldiers carried just one.

Link held out a hand saying, "Mind lending me one of those?" The Zora looked down at his favourite trident and back up at Link. He acquiesced and handed the weapon over. Link gripped it lightly while testing the weight. He didn't show off as he had with the fight against Murphy. There was no need to throw around a weapon to test the weight. Just a quick lift told him that it was perfectly balanced and could kill any creature easily.

Link nodded to Mipha as she dove into the water with the other guards. He said, "I'll draw them away, just stay low. Don't panic if anything explodes." Link added the last part as he made sure his bow was easily accessible while strapped on his back.

The captain turned his head in surprise back to Link. "What?!"

Link shook his head and pointed at the water shouting, "just go!" He wrestled the sword out slightly to show the gleaming light. The captain confirmed what he had already expected and shut his mouth. There was the confirmation of an awaiting trap. He nodded and dove into the water, leading the way for everyone else. Link nodded approvingly as he sheathed the master sword and swung easily up onto Epona. He held the trident out behind him as he spurred Epona forward with a curt _hyaah!_

Mipha watched as Link held out the trident skillfully as he spurred Epona into a gallop. It was only a couple seconds before she, and the other Zora's, heard the hooves drumming on the stone bridge above them. She kept low below the water surface and followed the guard captain as he led them towards the next waterfall. Mipha knew the route by heart so she just watched Link. It wasn't long until she spotted one of the concealed enemies they were waiting for.

Lizalfols had a very good sense for camouflage. They could change into any colour and near-perfectly blend in with any surroundings. Unfortunately, Link didn't spot any of them until it was almost too late. Mipha had seen it but she was too far away and didn't have enough time to warn Link.

He only realized that they were hidden on the path around him when he heard stones skipping off the rocks above him. He looked up and saw a huge lizard falling directly towards him, arms poised above its head with a dagger. Link was caught off guard by the attack from above. He had expected something to jump out from the side of the path in front of him, not above him. But the falling rocks warned Link in time and he had to react on the spot. He grit his teeth as he shoved the trident upwards to intercept the creature.

Link's arm jarred as he felt the impact of the trident in the Lizalfols' chest. However, he wasn't able to keep the creature's body from continuing to fall. It had jumped at the perfect time; it wanted to land on Link and force him from the saddle. Even though the creature was killed instantly by the trident lodged in its heart, it might still be able to accomplish its goal. But luckily, Instead of it landing on Link, the force from the ceremonial trident had forced the Lizal more to the right of its intended path.

Link couldn't hold onto the trident as the body on the end of it slammed down onto the hard gravel. It was an awkward angle. Link would have to twist to the left where the Lizalfols landed, while the trident was in his right hand. He had to keep his left on the reins to keep Epona going at full speed. Link had no choice but to regretfully let go of the spear or risk being brought down with if. He looked behind him wistfully at it as it disappeared in the cloud of dust behind them.

He watched for a couple seconds, wondering if he may have actually been able to keep a hold of it or not. He frowned angrily as he forced himself to stop over-thinking. Link turned back ahead and spoke to Epona. "So much for that idea."

Link reached up and pulled out the Master Sword. It glowed brighter than before and almost blinded Epona. Link made sure to hold it away from the horse's eyes as they both continued to race along the winding path.

Mipha crested the waterfall and swam forward to catch up with the other guards. She glanced upwards as she saw a bright light travelling quickly along a path. It flickered between the trees and she knew it must be the Master Sword. She watched as Link swung it at a nearby Bokoblin and watched the shower of sparks as their blades crossed. It was like watching fireworks going off as Link spurred faster through the trees.

Mipha glanced ahead and knew they were in the large lake beneath Zora's domain. It wouldn't take long for them to get to the base of the structure and upwards from there. The guards all stayed close to Mipha as they glided silently through the water. They knew that they were near safety and picked up their pace—ready to be inside. Mipha twitched when she heard a large explosion and looked up to see a flash of fire erupt on the cliff side. She couldn't see Link's sword glow anymore. However, she was able to see a horseman darting in between the trees towards Zora's domain. She let out a sigh of relief as she saw the figure turn and look back at the path behind him at the sudden explosion. She knew it must be Link. There was no reason for one of the Bokoblin horseman to look backwards.

Link turned around in his saddle and watched as the rocks cascaded off the side of the cliff. He found himself being chased by several Bokoblins who had found themselves a wild horse or two. He looked at the boulders fall, knowing his bomb arrow had hit its mark. Link felt almost lucky that there had been a mound of boulders being supported by a thin stone platform. The unstoppable spheres came down and landed amongst the horseman with a thundering roar.

The horses jumped out of the way in fear and the Bokoblins had to fight to stay on top of them. In fact, many of them fell off the backs of their horses as the innocent creatures turned tail and fled. He wondered if they would find their way back across the multitude of bridges that made up the travellers path to Zora's Domain.

Link looked back ahead with a grin—a very short lived grin. He spotted a Moblin ahead who had hold of a very heavy, large wooden club. The giant held it horizontally and swung it towards Link attempting to clothesline him off of Epona. Link reacted quickly and reached down for another arrow. He had only a couple seconds as he nocked the shock arrow and drew back. He aimed his bow instinctively at the Moblin. He had noticed earlier that it had begun to rain heavily—a common occurrence in Zora's Domain. He also noticed that Moblins have short, compact hair that easily absorbs water.

Link let out his breath slowly, loosing the yellow-headed arrow as he did so. He watched the arrow travel in slow motion. Electricity reached out at the water droplets at it streaked towards the Moblin. It got close and didn't even touch the giant before electrocuting it. But the arrow continued and buried itself deep in the Moblin's abdomen. Link watched as it suddenly tensed up. He heard a bloodcurdling howl of pain emanate from its throat. The Moblin dropped the wooden club and Epona easily jumped over it.

Link didn't even look back as the Moblin fell onto its side and slid towards the end of the cliff. Its head sunk first leaving the feet to drag behind it as the creature fell towards the large body of water underneath it.

Mipha looked up again as she saw a shadow growing larger. She gasped and darted forward, shoving a guard of the way of the impending doom. She looked back and watched the eruption of water as, what she saw as a Moblin, hit the water. If it wasn't dead before it fell, it was now. They all knew that a fall like that was deadly to anyone except Zoras or Hylians who wore special Zora armour.

The guard that Mipha saved looked back in surprise and they all stopped to gawk at the creature. The water started to seep red around the Moblin as it slowly sank downwards towards the bottom of the lake. Its arms and legs dragged above the Moblin as it sunk quickly. The expression of surprise and fright on its face was still apparent as red mass drifted further into the abyss.

Mipha turned towards the dumbstruck faces of the guards as they all looked upwards at the ongoing battle. Mipha asked hastily, "Is there any way that we can help him?"

The captain shook his head saying, "Not from here. The two posted at the start of the bridge should be able to do something though."

The guard glanced over at the other end of the small platform and saw two banged up Zora's pulling themselves into the platform. They had various cuts and bruises that would still be forming into the next day. He recognized the two as the guards he'd posted for bridge duty. His shoulders slumped as he realized they must have been thrown from the bridge into the waters below. Of course, he was glad that a Zora can easily dive into water from great heights but had a bitter look as he glanced up at the bridge. Link was all alone up there now.

The captain looked down to Mipha and saw her worried expression. He cursed knowing it was his job to keep them both safe and not just the princess. He nodded to her reassuringly saying, "lets just up there quickly then."

He turned and clambered onto the platform that led to a waterfall. The stream would connect almost directly to the Domain side of the bridge. He turned back and politely held out a hand to Mipha saying, "Come on!"

Link was sweating heavily but shivered against the cold rain. He watched as Epona blew clouds of cold air through her nostrils as her chest heaved. The constant running was tiring Epona and Link was exhausted from having to stave off any attackers.

He rubbed Epona's neck saying, "not too much further." He pointed ahead, "There's the main bridge." He looked back and saw three more horsemen following him. He squinted and cursed softly.

Link looked ahead of them again and saw it was a straight shot for the bridge. That meant that Epona had to make little adjustment to get across it. Link grinned and got an idea as he looked back. He slid his feet out of the stirrups and pressed his hands on the pommel of the saddle. He slipped his feet up and under him and he crouched unsteadily on Epona's back. _This is a stupid idea. Why am I doing this? Is it even worth it?_ Link shoved the doubtful thoughts out of his head. He saw that the enemy riders carried bows and swords. If he were to get onto the bridge, he would undoubtedly be shot in the back.

Link turned around and, very carefully, stood up. He had one foot on the pommel and one on the middle of the saddle. He had three regular arrows in between his right hand fingers and lifted his bow upwards to the Bokoblins.

He'd only ever taken a shot like this once back in the field below the spring of wisdom. And he admits that he'd gotten lucky back then. He had a bad feeling this time but forced it away as his heart raced with adrenaline. His ears were filled with the sound of his own heartbeat as he got the ever-familiar feeling of rubatosis.

Link braced himself and tried to hold the bow steady. He pulled back and held the bow at full draw, waiting for his aim to drift back to centre as Epona ran. He loosed his first arrow and knew immediately that it was one of the worst shots he had ever made.

Epona had decided to sidestep around a small outcropping, right as Link fired. The arrow thudded deeply into a tree five feet to the right of the leading Bokoblin. Link waved his arms as he fought to stay standing. He regained his balance and looked back up at the trail behind them. Luck was not on Link's side today.

The trio didn't react as Link pulled back on his second arrow. He exhaled slower this time and hoped that Epona would run straighter with this shot. He loosed the arrow and heard the drum of the bowstring as the arrow shot away like a dog chasing a frisbee.

Link watched the arrow arch and thud into the exposed chest of the Bokoblin in the front of the linear formation of horseman. The creature was thrown directly backwards and out of the saddle with a surprised look on its face. After seeing the first miserable shot it was convinced it would never be hit. The thought was still crossing its mind as the Bokoblin was trampled by the horse behind it.

The second horse stumbled and threw its rider forward as it came to a jarring stop and fell forward. The third and last Bokoblin had a faster reaction to his comrades falling as his horse leapt over the four rolling bodies. Link noticed too late that this bokoblin had a bow, already held up and aimed at Link. It had premediated drawing the bow as it began to exhale in mid air.

Suddenly, Epona started to slow down and jolt to the side to avoid something. Link stumbled and tried to regain his footing quickly. His arms flailed as much as they could with a bow and shield in hand. Link's left foot slipped off of the wet, slick pommel and he started falling to the side. He saw in amazement as an arrow whizzed past his head, narrowly missing him as he fell.

He looked up knowing that the sudden movement had saved him from getting shot. But suddenly remembered he was falling.

"Ah fu-" the rest of Link's curse was cut off as he hit the gravel near the entrance to the bridge.

Link tried to land on his shield but could barely control his fall as he slid across the coarse ground. Epona kept racing forward as they got back onto the other after avoiding a recently fallen tree. Link frowned as he now knew why Epona had moved so suddenly.

Link turned side over side and end over end as he tumbled along the ground. The arrow he had been holding snapped in his grasp as he painfully tumbled along the ground. To Link's misfortune, his right leg was forced upwards as he fell backwards and his hand that had the arrow in it slammed downwards. He let out a muffled scream as the broken arrow dug into his right thigh.

Link realized suddenly that he had come to a complete stop. It had felt like an eternity of rolling but it was finally over. He breathed heavily, as he was winded, and slowly pushed himself upwards. He saw the entrance to the bridge and that Epona had just begun to cross it without him.

He turned over onto his stomach as pained flashed through his right leg. It faltered and he fell over, unable to stand up. He lay on his back as he looked up in dismay as a horse strolled towards him. He watched, as much as his aching body would allow, as the Bokoblin stood above him. It pulled back on its bowstring and pointed it directly at Link's chest. It's malicious grin seemed unnecessary to Link as he waited for the moment the Bokoblin would fire.

Link grinned back at the creature. To the protest of his muscles, he raised his shield. He heard, more than felt, the improvised arrow glance off of the thick metal he had shoved in between his heart and the creature. It whistled off into the trees—never to be found again.

Link looked back up at the Bokoblin as it grew enraged that its kill had been suddenly taken from it. It grunted and pulled out a long broadsword. It poised to thrust as Link pulled out his own master sword, getting ready to slash upwards at the creature. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to time the parry correctly in his current state, but he had to try anyways. If he was successful, he'd kill the creature. If not, he will have died to Ganon, after Ganon was banished.

However, he didn't need to go through with his plan as three blades suddenly pierced through the chest of his attacker.

Mipha twisted her trident and lifted diagonally upwards. The Bokoblin screeched and its fingers scrambled frantically at the sharp needles that had pierced through its chest but had somehow not killed it. Mipha had managed to miss its heart and she hurled it over her body and behind her. She noticed how she didn't hear it thud onto the ground. Instead the creature let out a blood-boiling scream as it fell off the side of the cliff towards the water like below. Mipha grinned at the fact that hitting the water at this height would be like landing on solid stone.

She rested her trident on her shoulder confidently and looked down at Link as he lay on the ground with his blade ready. He let his head lean back and began breathing heavily as he said, "I had that you know."

Mipha leaned down and propped him up saying, "Oh yeah I'm sure you did. Do me a favour, will you?"

Link groaned as he sat up and looked up painfully to Mipha. She smiled softly as she looked at his exasperated expression.

"Never shoot like that again."


	14. The, Not So, Royal Entrance

Link was practically carried by Mipha and the guard captain as they walked over the last bit of the bridge. He had one arm around Mipha and one around the captain. They set Link down onto a nearby bench beside the stable they'd created for Hylians. Link painfully grabbed a hold of his leg as the arrow moved slightly. He felt pain shoot from his thigh as he slammed down onto the bench and groaned in pain. He shook his head to clear his mind and regretted it as his headache worsened.

The stable was made of the same blueish-silver metal as everything else. There were hints of luminous stone speckled throughout the metal. It was, simply put, three walls with a convex semi-circle for a roof. There were half walls that rose up in perfect unison inside of the small shack. That's where the horses would go to feed and have any water there would need. Epona wandered around near the stable—her reins dragging on the ground. Someone would eventually coax her into one of the stalls, but for now she wandered idly.

Mipha crouched down beside Link. "You're crazy! We could have stayed with you and helped!"

Mipha began looking over him as the flabbergasted guards brought Epona to the stable or lurked around gawking at Link. Many people had seen the marksmanship and skill he had displayed but they had also seen his unlucky fall. Even though it was a bad idea to begin with, the Zora's were all convinced that it was just a stroke of bad luck—no matter how much Link tried to convince them otherwise.

Link looked up with a grin and bloodshot eyes at the persistent worrying of Mipha. He knew that she wasn't angry at him; she just didn't like to see him in danger. Link frowned as pain spiked from every inch of his body. Maybe he should play things a little safer next time.

"You know I couldn't put you in danger."

"Don't forget that I saved you at the end."

Link furrowed his brows, he was optimistic that he would have killed the Bokoblin before it could create a killing blow on him. Of course he knew how bad condition he was in and wasn't 100% sure. Either way he liked to keep his pride. Link was about to voice his thoughts as Mipha grabbed hold of the arrow embedded in his thigh.

"They say surprise will take away most of the pain…" Mipha spoke uncertainty as she tried to get a good grip on the slick arrow. It had already been broken in half and she was trying to get a solid grip. But it was also sleeked by the blood and rain, which didn't help her situation.

Link looked at her in dismay and then back to the arrow. He grit his teeth and spoke through them, "are you sure about that?"

"Sort of, either way I can't heal you with that thing still in there. So… on three?"

Link nodded his acquiescence to her. She took a deep breath and started the countdown.

"Okay… one... two... three!"

Link had his eyes shut as he heard the end of the countdown. He held his breath in anticipation while waiting for the flash of pain. He held it for a couple seconds and realized something was wrong. Mipha hadn't pulled out the arrow.

Link opened his eyes in confusion and looked Mipha. "What's taking so-" Link shut his mouth instantly as Mipha finally pulled out the arrow-she'd intentionally delayed pulling it out.

Link pushed air of out of his lungs silently in a surprised gasp of pain. He leaned back and slammed a fist down into his other leg, trying to take his mind off of the sudden, searing pain. Mipha quickly clasped both her hands over the wound and started healing it.

She looked up apologetically saying, "Sorry, but you were distracted."

Link bit his tongue and closed his eyes nodding his head painfully. He knew she was right. But it didn't mean he had to agree with her.

More and more people were beginning to gather around and gawk at the arrival of their royalty. All the Zora's would constantly make a big fuss about the entrance for royalty. But this was a scene they didn't want to see. Mipha let out a minor sigh of relief as she didn't see Sidon anywhere nearby.

Mipha looked up quickly at the captain of the guard and he jumped at her look of displeasure. He waved his hands and shouted to everyone gathering around, "nothing to see around here! We'll answer questions later but for now return to your daily lives!"

People muttered and began to slowly walk off as they kept their eyes on the injured prince and his princess.

Mipha slowly lifted her hands off Link's thigh and saw the arrow wound had fully sealed up. It left a neat little scar that could be seen through the torn fabric. Mipha looked Link up and down and decided the rest could wait until they were in a more private area. It wasn't good press to show the Champion so beat up just shortly after arriving.

It was only minor cuts and bruises that remained. The Zora armour would be able to slowly disperse her healing powers and heal all his wounds equally. She presumed they'd all come from the nasty fall she witnessed as Epona basically threw Link off her back.

Link looked up slightly from his exhaustion and saw Mipha stand up looking at him expectantly. He motioned to stand up, but Mipha suddenly shoved him back down. He looked at her in pained worry as she glared at him. He couldn't tell what she was thinking. It was a mix of motherly protection, anger and love. She leaned closer to him with a serious expression.

"Next time, let me come with you. I'm not separating from my Champion as easily as that ever again. Now come on, we need you to be cleaned up before everyone in Zora's Domain gets to goggle at you."

* * *

Link collapsed onto the waterbed behind him. He didn't notice that the bed had been completely remade since he'd been there last. Link was too exhausted to notice anything at the moment.

He flinched when he felt a damp cold cloth press against his forehead. Mipha smiled as she looked down at him saying, "Don't be a wuss. Now sit up and let me heal the rest of these cuts and bruises."

Link grinned, knowing she was overselling himself. He'd guessed that Mipha enjoyed taking care of him. He also he enjoyed having her close with him. It was a win-win scenario and there was no way that Link wasn't going to take advantage of that. However, all thoughts of enjoying her gentle touch faded as did all other thought—He was too exhausted to think.

Link weakly raised a hand saying, "Do you mind if I sleep? I could really sleep right now…" his words drifted off as he leaned back further into the water filled mattress.

Suddenly, he felt re-invigorated and his eyes opened more easily than earlier. If felt as if they weren't being weighed down anymore.

He felt wide awake as he sat back up straighter than he had before. Too bad, he'd actually been looking forward to sleeping. He looked down at Mipha's hand clasped over his chest and the soft glow from his armour. It was soothing as it slowly healed all his cuts and bruises.

Mipha spoke innocently, "Whoops, looks like you won't be getting to sleep for a while now."

Link's shoulders slumped as he said; "Now that's just rude."

Mipha grinned as she watched the ugly yellowish spots begin to disappear as she said, "Just try to be more careful next time okay? That was a risky decision."

Link cracked his knuckles saying, "It was, I'll admit that." He looked down as Mipha concentrated on pumping energy into Link's wounds. He placed a hand gently over hers and asked, "Did you have any problem getting here?"

She shook her head saying, "Nothing other than a Moblin that almost landed on us."

"Yeah… sorry about that."

Mipha smiled as she took her hand slightly off of Link and looked him up and down. There were spots of dirt and splattered blood that would have to be washed off but all the cuts disappeared. She also made sure that she had put a little extra energy into the armour to keep Link awake for the next while. They still needed to check in with her father as their entrance to Zora's Domain had been completely ruined.

She looked at Link and studied his face as he inspected his armour. She was glad he was okay and thought about the odd connection they had. He instinctively put himself in danger and she enjoyed having someone protect her. But Mipha also took pride in taking care of, and supporting, others, which is what Link deeply enjoyed. She drifted out of her thoughts as Link started inspecting the armour closely.

"What are you doing?" She asked with a tilted head.

Link answered without looking up, "It's not damaged is it?" Mipha smiled at the care he was taking at preserving the armour. She'd heard about how he always destroyed his equipment. Yet here he was, making sure he didn't damage the armour she'd given him. She pressed the cloth against his jaw and wiped away a small line of dirt.

Mipha tried to keep contain her affection as she spoke. "It's perfect, don't worry."

He looked down at her and said softly, "Thank you."

Mipha smiled back and said, "You're welcome, although you will need a bath. After all, my father is the king."

Link looked down at himself saying, "Yeah... I probably do."

Mipha flicked her eyes at the closet door saying, "there's one at the end of there. There's a hidden compartment on the back wall. Just push against it and it should just open up like a regular door. It's where I usually get ready for the day or hide from unwanted visitors. You'd be surprised how often that happens." Link bowed slightly in thanks and stood up stiffly. He knew exactly what she meant by the last part. Zelda always had messengers arriving with news she already knew or someone that needed an irrelevant task done that she just didn't have the time for. Link grinned as he knew that Zelda would kill for a secret room inside of her own bedroom.

He rubbed his sore leg as he put his fully body weight on it. It was still sore, but didn't flash with pain anymore. It felt more like a cramped muscle. "That's gonna hurt for a while."

"You did fall off of a galloping horse."

"Really? When?"

* * *

Link re-entered Mipha's main bedroom as he dried off his hair. He had brought along all his clothes and belongings with him and had a pair of his beige trousers on as he dried off his chest and hair. He laid the towel on the edge of the bed. It was now that he realized it wasn't a shallow pool any longer. Since they'd left, it had been completely replaced by one of the beds you'd find at the inn. It was a flat mattress that was filled with water. There was the elegant, yet simple, silver designs ever-present on the sides of the frame. Link raised an eyebrow realizing that she had most likely premeditated the decision to change it, knowing he'd come to live in Zora's Domain. _Did she really know before I did? Wait… did she convince me to come here?_ Link shook his head as conspiracies began to run rampant. He looked to Mipha who was sitting at her desk.

She was leaned back in the chair with both her legs up on the desk. She looked more like a schoolgirl than a princess as she scribbled in the small diary in her hands. She slammed it shut immediately when Link spoke.

"So you had an entrance planned?" Mipha glanced up in surprise and started forward when she saw Link without his shirt.

Mipha was always been around fit, and fairly muscular, Zora men when she trained with her trident. And seeing as how Zora's didn't wear traditional clothing, she would often see their bodies quite clearly. She'd never thought it odd or all too appealing other than just their normal looks. Yet somehow, seeing Link without the armour on felt different—it felt like a rare privilege. Maybe it was because she never really got a chance to see him like this.

She smiled, pleasantly surprised, and leaned back into her chair while trying to hide her blush. She scanned his body as she spoke.

"I am royalty you know. I wanted to be able to show you off instead of having to heal you from an arrow you stabbed into your own leg."

Mipha regretted her words as Link immediately frowned and put on the silk shirt. She saw it as a punishment as Link stood straight up and looked at her.

"Well, I like the idea of being shown off. And that arrow was _not_ my fault. I just had a stroke of misfortune."

Mipha nodded and stood up saying, "alright alright, either way I assume you're feeling better now?" Link nodded and she spoke with a hint of exhaustion. "Good. Because it's getting late, so let's just talk to my father and be getting to sleep soon, okay?" Link slipped the Zora armour over his head and clasped it into place. He pulled the internal straps tight and saw it gently glow.

He sighed saying, "I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight."

Mipha grinned sheepishly as she opened the bedroom door saying, "Oh, no need to worry about that. You won't be wearing it to bed anyways. Will you?"

Link raised an eyebrow at the obvious question. "I guess not."

* * *

Link left all his belongings in Mipha's room as they glided down the steps. She made sure to make Link walk slowly in case any of his wounds weren't fully healed.

It wasn't long before they exited the door of the palace that led up the winding staircase to the bedrooms. Lura was waiting outside the door and anxiously greeted Mipha and Link. She said, "And how's the couple? I heard about what happened out on the bridge. Although I can the story is distorted already as they say you stood on horseback while shooting." The Zora scoffed, "As if that's possible."

Link looked away and coughed to clear his throat. Mipha linked her arm with his saying, "Oh it's possible. That's what really happened."

Lura stopped in surprise and apologized quickly, "please forgive me your highness, I didn't realize tha-"

Mipha waved it off with a laugh saying, "You know you don't have to call me 'your highness.' And a little secret, he actually stabbed him self when he fell."

Link flicked his gaze over and glared at the both of them in frustrated silence. Lura grinned without looking at him saying, "It'll be our secret," Lura adopted her usual caretaker voice again, "Is there anything you need before I head to bed?"

Mipha shook her head saying, "No, go right ahead Lura, thank you. Actually, do make sure Sidon is actually asleep and hasn't snuck out like last time." Lura nodded and grinned at the memory. Sidon was, and always has been, against the notion of a bedtime.

Mipha bowed slightly as Lura curtseyed. Then Mipha strode off, basically dragging Link behind her as she did so. He caught up as she said, "Let's speak to my father and then we can relax until tomorrow. Healing like that just saps my energy you know."

Link sighed thinking, _I could relax now._ However he didn't say anything and followed Mipha's quick pace towards the throne room.

Dorephan seemed intimidating as ever as Link strode in behind Mipha. He looked up at her father and felt smaller than usual in every conceivable way. Link was used to being shorter than most people, but this was just insulting.

The room itself was like being inside of a huge egg. Arches replaced doorways and silver decorations lined the pearlescent walls. Link noticed a couple guards once in a while as they patrolled. He also saw that they had all their eyes on Mipha and himself.

Mipha stopped and Link did likewise. They were on the large platform that had only three steps up to it. Anyone who spoke with the king would customarily be on this platform unless they were a consultant beside the king. However, it was not customary to bow before the Zora king. It wasn't frowned upon but not required. Out of habit of his service to king Rhoame, Link got down on one knee and lowered his head.

It was customary in Hyrule to always bow to the King when he entered the room you were in or vice-a-versa. Being the Princess' body guard, that lesson had been taught, and re-taught, many times to Link. It was almost second nature to bow to royalty. But this was not the case for the Zora's. They weren't very big on customs, at least not as much as the Hylian's are.

Link waited for Dorephan to start talking but he never did. Link felt heat on his back from the cold stares from Mipha and Dorephan. He heard her whisper softly, "You don't need to do that." Link looked up in surprise at her and then slowly towards King Dorephan.

He had a large grin as he spoke to Link saying, "She's right you know. No need to bow before me like that. Although, I do appreciate the respect."

Link stood up flustered and brushed off his knees. He stood up straight and glanced back to Mipha, noticing she was calm and relaxed. He blinked twice and tried to relax his shoulders a little. Although he wasn't sure if he felt any more relaxed as he looked up to literal whale in front of them.

The large Zora smiled and said assuredly, "You'll get the hang of things around here quickly Link, don't worry. From what I've heard, you're already building quite the reputation around here." Link raised an eyebrow and Dorephan continued. He gestured towards where the main bridge would be outside of the throne room saying, "Gossip travels quickly."

Mipha squinted saying, "I assume you feel that we should improve the security around here? Especially for the road?"

Dorephan looked down wanting to object but saw the look on his daughters face. His mouth shut with an audible click and he looked at Link. Dorephan knew that Mipha could easily change his own mind. He almost felt bad for Link knowing that he wasn't going to be able to make his own choices for the rest of his life. Key word there being _almost._

Dorephan opened his mouth again to say, "Yes… I think that is a good idea. Maybe the previous head guard of Hyrule security could help us with that." Link grinned slightly knowing that Mipha was giving him a great opportunity.

"I might have a few ideas. Everyone seems a little… relaxed… around here."

Link chose his words carefully to avoid offending the Zora's. Mipha nodded at the specificity and looked back to her father. He nodded exasperatedly and rubbed his chin. He stopped and changed the subject from his soldiers incompetency and back to a, hopefully, more lighthearted topic.

He leaned forward slightly asking, "So, how was Hyrule Castle? Any complications?" Mipha nodded saying, just one or two. But other than that, the castle and its hosts were splendid and welcoming." Dorephan looked at her expectantly, rolling his hand for her to go on. Mipha held herself high as she said, "just a new Hylian guard that was getting a little too close for comfort."

Dorephan squinted slightly in anger as he leaned back against his throne. He knew what she meant by the way she stressed the word "close." He hated the thought of someone trying to grab at his daughter. Mipha spoke quickly before he got the wrong idea of Hylians, "…but Link showed him how a Hylian should act and what a Champion is really made of."

Link looked thankfully over at her as she defended him and the rest of Hyrule castle. Although, he wasn't sure if she meant his Zora title, or Hylian title, when she said "Champion." He assumed it was the Zora rank and looked back up to the king.

Dorephan relaxed slightly knowing that nothing had come out of that encounter. He saw how relaxed Mipha was and decided she would have spoken differently if the man had gotten as close as Dorephan was imagining. He shook his head and asked, "What's the other thing that happened?"

Mipha looked at Link and then back to her father saying, "Dark Link happened."

* * *

"The attack failed?!" Dark Link stepped forward in fury towards the injured Bokoblin in front of him. The creature immediately regretted being the bearer of bad news and wished he had kept his mouth shut. It realized now why no one else had been willingly to tell Dark Link about the failure.

It tried to speak, "he was alone as he-" the creature was cut off as the back of Dark Link's hand slapped harshly across its cheek.

The Bokoblin stumbled and its leg seared in pain as it applied pressure on it. Looking back up with a hand on the stinging red mark, he saw Dark Link furiously looking down at him.

He shouted, "of course he was alone!" He has a master sword!" Dark Link reached back and slid out his own sword. It hissed with the familiar sound of leather on steel as he drew it out.

The sword itself was an exact replica of the master sword that Link also carried—except there were two distinct differences. The blade itself was tinted black and had no indication that it would ever glow. That was the first difference. Dark Link pointed the tip of the blade at the Bokoblin asking, "Do you know what this is?"

When the creature shook its head, Dark Link admired the blade and spoke of the second difference to Link's blade. His eyes glinted and his red pupils seemed to pulse as he said menacingly, "It's known as _the sword that seals the light."_

A silence grew in the tent and the candles flickered as the Bokoblin looked down in shame. Dark Link turned away saying, "of course he saw you coming and sent the princess to take the river. You know this blade will grow dark whenever someone who serves the light is nearby. That means that his sword will shine whenever someone who serves darkness is nearby. Capiche?"

The Bokoblin opened its mouth to say,

"Yes, I und-" it was cut off of by Dark Link.

Dark Link swivelled on his heels and shouted with more authority than before. "Did I say you could speak?! No I don't think so." He waited for the Bokoblin to stop quivering before he turned away and held up the Master Sword.

Dark Link tilted the blade to shine the candlelight off of it saying, "This blade can turn red also." He looked ominously down at the bokoblin asking, "Want to see how?" The creatures eyes grew wide and it was about to open its mouth in protest. But the Link was faster and swung the blade towards the Bokoblin's neck.

A second later, Dark Link watched the silver Bokoblin head roll to towards the other side of the tent—it was stopped by a table. He looked at his blade and grinned as it was clearly dripping red.

He spoke, half to himself, "My Deku tree put up more of a fight than you did."

Dark Link let the sword point fall slowly as he looked at the terrified Lizal beside him. He always had a messenger in his tent ready to go anywhere that Dark Link desired. Dark Link motioned for him to leave the tent as he sat down to wipe off his blade. He spoke quietly with an ominous tranquility.

"Get me another, more competent, commander."


	15. An Unexpected Visitor

"So let me get this straight…" King Dorephan rubbed his temples. He found this whole situation quite confusing. He pointed at Link saying, "So there's another version of you out there. He knows everything about you and acts exactly like you. We don't know much about him other than that he is a high-functioning minion to Ganon."

Link nodded at the accurate recounting. "He gives commands and orders to the creatures of darkness. But we aren't sure where he draws his power from as Ganon is banished."

Dorephan leaned back saying, "and he wants to take down all the champions and Zelda?"

Mipha nodded saying, "starting with myself and Link." Mipha sounded extremely calm in the fact that she was being hunted. Maybe she was getting used to the fact that people would want her dead sooner or later. The higher you rise, the more people there are that want to watch you fall.

Dorephan grumbled under his breath and leaned back exasperated. He looked at Link in bafflement. "You say you can defeat him?"

"I would hope so. At the least I'll be an equal to him and tire him out so that someone else can take him out." Link shrugged his shoulders in thought saying, "or we could just shoot him I guess. It is raining fairly often around here."

Mipha looked over at him in annoyance saying, "If you think I'm gonna fire one of those shock arrows you are mistaken."

Link grinned at his mistake saying, "Yeah, that's probably not a good idea."

Link shook his head and looked back up at the worried King. He spoke calmly and confidently saying, "Don't worry Dorephan, we will keep a lookout. I doubt he can attack us while in Zora's Domain and I have no doubts that the attack on the road was meant as an assassination attempt."

Dorephan looked down at the confident young man. He remembered his captain and the report he gave on how Link put himself in danger to ensure Mipha's protection. He let a slight smile touch his lips and knew that Link was an amazing choice by Mipha. He noticed how calm Mipha looked beside him. He also noticed the small side glance she gave to Link and the minute glint of approval and comfort in her eyes. She had her hands tucked behind her back and had her chest slightly pushed out. It was odd to see his own daughter giving basic flirting signs, but Dorephan was happy that she was able to get close with someone. She'd always been so isolated from everyone else that Dorephan was worried if she'd find anyone soon. He glanced back as Link didn't see the general flirting signs from Mipha.

The King smiled at Link's obliviousness. He knew that Link would die protecting her, and that she would do the exact same for him.

King Dorephan spoke more to ease his own nerves than for an answer. "I see this problem won't go away anytime soon. Get some sleep, the both of you. You can choose to enjoy yourselves and your new status or to do some training to prepare. I suggest that the latter be saved for another day."

Link nodded to Dorephan and looked down at Mipha. Now is when he noticed she had gotten slightly closer to him and she glanced up to him. They nodded to each other and both looked up to the king simultaneously. Mipha spoke for them both in saying, "maybe a little bit of both. There's always work to do."

* * *

Link blinked in thought as he gazed out over the railing. Below him stood the massive lake that the Zora's could use to swim and where children were often taken to practice going up waterfalls. Link painfully remembered the shame in going down there and having to learn how to swim. Mipha had taught him and she had to use every bit of strength not to laugh at his strenuous difficulty.

He shook the memory out of his head and thought of his sleep last night. The new bed Mipha had gotten was much better suited for a Hylian. Mipha may not enjoy it as much, but it still felt like water—at least that is what she had told him. Even if she didn't enjoy it, the close proximity to Link made the bed change completely worth it. Whether she liked the bed or not, Link loved it. His sleep last night was one of the best he ever had. Mipha had to basically drag him out of the bed.

He shook his head and angrily stood up straighter. He was annoyed that all he was doing was just remembering. He looked around for something to do in the present. In fact he was bored that he didn't have a big role in society anymore. Not to say that being Champion isn't a huge role, but he doesn't have a job like he did in Hyrule Castle.

As Link looked around, he noticed people staring at him and they all smiled as they gossiped to each other. Instinctively, he readjusted the buckles on the strap for his Master Sword. Naturally he had decided to wear all of his weapons on him along with his shield covering the quiver on his back. He visibly jumped when someone pulled on his left leg.

He turned and looked down to see a young Zora around Sidon's age looking up in awe. Link calmed down and crouched down as the child asked, "Are you Link?"

Link smiled at the recognition. He didn't realize he was popular enough that the Zora children would know him. "I sure am. And you are?"

The small Zora smiled and jumped slightly saying, "I'm Zerox!" He said it so proudly as if saying his own name would empower him.

Link smiled gently and continued speaking to the lone child. "Well Zerox, it's nice to meet such a young face around here." As Link said this, he looked around for the guardian of the wandering child. He frowned as he only saw chatting groups of Zora's. Someone wasn't keeping an eye on their child he thought to himself. He shook his head and looked back to Zerox.

Link put a hand on his shoulder saying, "You know, you're the first one around who had the courage to come up and say hello."

A light of awe burned in Zerox's eyes as he asked, "Really?!"

Link smiled softly and nodded while saying, "Really."

He looked up as an exasperated female Zora came up to them and crouched down and grabbed Zerox's hand. "Zerox!" She scolded him, "You can't just go up to the Champion like that!" She looked up and stood up with Link saying, "I'm so sorry for his behaviour. I-"

Link cut her off politely saying, "It's no worries. He just wanted to meet me." The woman nodded and looked down with an annoyed scowl at Zerox. Link continued before she got angry at him saying, "He really didn't do anything wrong. I've got everyone looking at me but no one has had the courage to even say a greeting. He's a bright lad m'am."

Zerox's eyes lit up again as he looked at Link's smoothing smile. The mother looked up embarrassed saying, "Sorry, it's not often that a princess gets engaged; especially to someone who is already a hero."

Link smiled at the compliment and said, "Well I appreciate someone telling me why. But don't be nervous just to say hello once in a while. Because it looks like you're gonna be stuck with me for a while."

Zerox jumped up and down and pointed behind Link before his mother could respond to the Hylian. "Look mom!"

Link motioned to turn around but stopped when Mipha appeared silently beside him and entwined her hand with his. The mother gasped and immediately curtseyed saying, "Lady Mipha… I…"

Mipha smiled and looked at Link saying, "Look what you've done. Now they're too nervous to talk to me either."

The woman immediately stammered but Zerox just stared up at the couple in awe. Mipha looked down at him and crouched down, placing a hand gently on his jaw. She said with a smile, "Try not to burst with joy little guy. You'll be seeing a lot more of him." She spoke in a slightly louder whisper so that his mother could also hear, "maybe when Link isn't busy he can tell you a story or two about Hyrule Castle."

The small Zora nodded and tried to contain his excitement as Mipha stood back up. But then he stopped for a second asking, "Why not right now?"

Mipha smiled and nudged Link saying, "because the Champion is going to get a job as the head of defence for Zora's Domain."

Link's eyes lit up almost as much as Zerox's did at her statement. He froze and looked down at her in glee. She smiled and nodded her head, confirming what she had said. Link stood taller and said in amazement, "Just like that?"

"Just like that."

Link was about to wrap his arms around his beloved in a heartfelt thanks when he heard a commotion on the bridge.

"Get your hands off of me! I'm not gonna fly away like a criminal!"

"You _are_ a criminal."

The Zora guard snapped yet again at the Rito she escorted along the end of the bridge. There was a group of four Zora guards and three Rito that were just entering Zora's Domain. The Rito's were being guided along the path towards Zora's Domain. They looked like prisoners or convicts. In fact, the only reason they weren't cuffed is because conventional wrist restraints aren't effective for Rito's. The best they would be able to use was rope, and Zora's didn't traditionally carry rope around with them.

The Rito in the front was the one that had been complaining the entire trip from the east reservoir. The Zora guard that held him wished that she was able to tape his clicking beak shut. At first she was disappointed she had to arrest such a high ranking individual, but in less than ten minutes she had come to resent him. For the lead Rito of the trio was none other than Revali himself.

Zerox hid behind his mother as the large bird kept acting aggressively towards the guards. "Watch it! I'm not a turkey! If you wanted my feathers you could just ask!"

Link sighed in exasperation as he recognized the voice of his comrade. Mipha heard it too—except it sounded a lot more like nails on a blackboard to her.

The guards and prisoners pushed through the crowding Zoran citizens on their way to the palace. They were to bring these criminals to the King to seek out what the punishment would be. They stopped suddenly when Link and Mipha barred their path.

"What's the meaning of this? Why is the Rito Champion being arrested?" Link asked clearly to the guards. They all stopped and looked at each other. Word hadn't reached them yet about Link's new position in the Zora hierarchy, but they didn't see the harm in telling him since he was already technically royalty.

"We caught them poaching near the east reservoir." The lead guard told Link and Mipha. Link sighed, knowing how strict the hunting laws were in Zora's Domain. He frowned more as he wondered why Revali would break such explicit laws. His question was answered by the bird almost as soon as he thought of it.

"We wouldn't have even been here if we weren't attacked beforehand…" Revali pushed ahead slightly to get a view of who they were speaking to. He thought he had recognized the voice and he confirmed his suspicions as he laid his eyes upon Link. Fury seethed in Revali's eyes as he laid his eyes upon his assumed attacker.

"You! You're the one that attacked us last night!" Revali pushed forward and tried to get close to Link, "you traitor!"

Link didn't move to the hostile reaction from Revali. However, his brow furled in confusion as Revali laid out his accusation.

"You shot at us from the shadows! So much for courage, you coward!" Revali stepped closer angrily towards the couple. He let out a surprised squawk as the lead guard forced him backwards again, forcefully restraining his arms. Revali pressed further and tried to step forward again stubbornly. The Zora behind him grit her shark teeth and kicked the back of his knees, forcing him to kneel.

The crowd grew around the quickly intensifying situation. They didn't know what was more interesting, the shameful bashing of the Champion or the accusation of his attacking on the Rito's. Either way, their interests kept reaching ever-growing peeks as they crowded closer.

Link and Mipha both knew what had happened instantly when Revali had accused Link. The general public did not yet know about the existence of Dark Link, therefore neither would Revali. But the only way that they could have been attacked by Link was if he actually did attack them, or Dark Link attacked them. Since it was obvious that Link had not been their attacker, Dark Link was the only possible explanation.

Link looked up at the two other Rito. They seemed much calmer in seeing how easily their leader was brought to his knees. But they were almost as angry as Revali.

Link spoke directly to them asking, "Is what he says true? Did any of you see me… or an outline of me?" The two Rito looked at each other and then back at their presumed attacker. Link noticed know how they both favoured one leg over the other and had several different bandages across their bodies and wings. Link wondered how he hadn't noticed that earlier—albeit, the angry Revali didn't help his perception.

They both nodded to Link. One said, "We saw you in the woods, a dark outline as you shot at us. Somehow there were creatures of Ganon too that didn't react to your presence." The Rito spoke uncertainty, knowing that some of the details created several anomalies and plot holes. Link sighed as he realized why Dark Link hadn't personally attacked him last night—he was busy fighting the Rito.

Mipha clung onto Link's arm and said, "Well that's impossible. I was with him last night. It wasn't Link that shot at you."

Revali, who was still forced to stay on his knees, looked up in defiance. "Really?! Because we have arrows that perfectly match yours! We saw _you_ in the woods! _You_ killed my wingman!"

Link stepped forward and shook his head. He said "Revali calm down. I didn't do that. I have a perfectly reasonable explanation for this. We can talk more privately if you woul-"

"There's no reason other than that it was you! You're no Hyrule Champion! You're just a coward!"

The crowd looked around at the blatant disrespect to the Princess's Champion. If any of them were to say something like that, it could be written up as treason. Link knew this, but didn't react to the outburst.

The Zora that held Revali struggled slightly to keep him on his knees. She managed to keep him restrained as Mipha stepped forward angrily to Revali. She held her lightscale trident lightly and freely as she did so.

"You do not speak to him like that! He's more than just Hyrule's Champion. He's my Champion, and it will benefit you to remember that."

Revali rolled his eyes saying, "Screw him. He's more of a criminal than I-" Revali was cut off suddenly as the backend of a trident slammed into his temple.

The crowd gave a rumble of approval as the disrespectful Rito fell like a sack of potatoes to the ground. They began to back off, realizing that this situation was essentially over. Of course, they were still confused on what the Rito's accusations were about. But they didn't rather care anymore due to the rudeness of Revali towards the royal crown and Mipha's Champion. The crowd, slowly but surely, started to disperse and head towards their daily lives again.

The force in the Zora guard's arms finally stopped resisting as Revali fell limp to the ground. Mipha straightened her back and held her trident up again. She had struck out with lightning speed at Revali at his insult to Link. He could accuse him of whatever he wanted, and he could insult anyone else that Mipha knew and she would forgive him. But no one, not even the Rito Champion, could insult Link and walk away unscathed. She rested the blunt end of the trident on the ground as Revali was hefted up by the Zora guard.

"You two want to speak up like him? Or will you just shut up and listen?" Mipha spoke with exasperated anger as she glanced at the two. Link looked at the oversized Cucco who had to now be lifted up by two Zora guards. Revali was completely unconscious from the rough hit to the head from Mipha. Although it may have been a tiny bit excessive, Link was a bit jealous that he didn't do that himself.

The two Rito looked at each other in fear and then back to the royal couple. They both shook their heads in blind compliance and Mipha nodded. She stepped back and stood beside, and slightly behind, Link. He cleared his throat and said, "Then get them into the palace. We can speak marginally more privately there."

* * *

"Dorephan, I assume you already know of Revali." Link said as he gestured towards the three Rito on the platform. Link and Mipha both stood to the left of Dorephan, off of the platform. Revali had his wings bound lightly with rope in front of him. He was only just starting to regain consciousness. The King looked down at them with contempt. He'd heard of what happened in the main square and about the accusation. He looked over at Link and Mipha.

"You believe this is the work of Dark Link?" The King asked not-so-discretely.

The couple nodded in unison and Dorephan leaned back in frustration. This Dark Link was going to prove to be a bigger problem than he had originally assumed. He looked down at the Rito and asked calmly, "so? Tell us what happened last night."

The two looked down at Revali as he only began to stir. He wasn't able to speak yet. One of them chose to take the initiative and began the recounting of their attack.

"Well… we were out here on a routine flight plan. We had to stop early and set up camp near the east reservoir last night due to the constant rain. But we didn't even get halfway done setting up when arrows started raining from the trees. We lost one of our men to the hail and were forced to take cover. We could clearly see the outline of Link in the trees. He was shooting as us with the creatures of Ganon and also appeared to be giving commands to them. We fended them off but not without a couple injuries. Link got away unscathed. They had burned our supplies so we were forced to hunt some of the fish nearby to be able to eat. That's when the guards arrested us for poaching."

The Rito trailed off as he finished his long explanation. Dorephan nodded to it and knew exactly what had happened now. He waved one of his hands saying, "You aren't being charged with anything. You'll be given full service, your wounds tended to and any supplies you may need for your return trip."

The Rito both looked at each other in confusion. They had fully expected to be sentenced to some kind of punishment for breaking the Zora law. But now they were being fully pardoned. Revali slowly stood up and asked the question on the trio's mind. "Why? And why is Link not being charged?"

Link spoke this time instead of Dorephan. "Because I wasn't the one that shot at you. It was a different version of me, a Dark Link if you will. He looks exactly like me except he's enshrouded in darkness and is the current leader for the creatures of Ganon around here. In fact I was also attacked last night on my way here. I can assure you, that it wasn't me in those woods."

Revali groaned at the complicated mess he was getting into. But now that Link explained the situation, all the anomalies began to fade away. Revali may be one to complain about every conceivable idea, but he isn't a fool. He rubbed his brows awkwardly as he had to raise both of his bound wings to do so. He asked, "So this, Dark Link, what's his motive?"

Mipha answered with confidence. "His motive is simple. Kill the Champions. Kill Zelda and anyone closely associated with any of his marks." The Rito all stopped to look at each other. It made sense now to why they were attacked—Revali is a target.

One of them bluntly asked, "He's an assassin? He's going after _all_ the Champions? It's a death wish!"

Dorephan nodded saying, "It would be, but remember that this assassin is just as skilled as Link. And he has complete control over all of Ganon's creatures. We are currently trying to figure out how to deal with him."

Revali nodded as he thought to himself. He knew how skilled Link was with a sword and, as Revali hated to say it, a bow. Link would easily be able to best any of the Champions. But all of them? That was a stretch, even for him. A thought crossed Revali's mind as he thought of this new rival. He asked, "Does everyone else know? Daruk and Urbosa are targets too."

Dorephan opened his mouth to answer but realized too late that he didn't have one. He sighed silently and looked down at Link and Mipha.

Link shrugged and said, "Not yet. We haven't been able to send out a messenger that wouldn't risk being taken out by Dark Link. We have to assume that he knows everything that I know, including any of the secret messenger routes.

Revali grinned saying, "Well good thing you can't fly then. I'll be able to get a message out to the others. Consider it as repayment for the blunt accusation earlier." Link smiled and nodded his thanks.

Link stopped nodding and a small smile grew on his face. He continued to Revali, "Your debt to me is filled. However, you still owe Mipha for insulting her Champion."

Revali groaned and rolled his eyes at the subject. He didn't know much about Zora traditions but he knew how much they honoured the Champion of the princess. He knew how severe it was to blatantly disrespect the crown or Champion. But he was justified in his eyes; he had thought that Link had attacked them earlier. However, he was smart enough to keep his beak shut.

He simply nodded to Mipha saying, "I'll owe you one, _just_ one. Now can we get some food and supplies? We should have already been back in Rito Village by now."

"Yes of course, our guards can show you where you can restock your wares. Have a safe journey and be on the lookout for Dark Link. He's a danger to us all." Dorephan spoke with a grim expression to Revali and the other two. All three Rito glanced up at the King and nodded. They had their assignment and would carry it out as soon as possible.

* * *

Link watched as the three Rito's took off. They all separated almost immediately and went off into different directions. One would go to the Gerudo desert, one to the Rito village and one to the Goron City. Of course they would have to work around how to get the message to the Champions. It was unlikely that a Rito could enter Goron city without lighting aflame and would therefore rely on a second messenger that was a Goron. The Rito's were professionals at delivering messages and Link had no worries that the other kingdoms would be prepared for this new sudden threat to them.

Mipha wrapped her arms around Link from behind and looked up at the Rito as they all dispersed evenly through the air.

"Head of defence for twenty minutes and you've already been part of a trial. Your job here is going to be busier than you'd ever imagine."

Link smiled at the remark. He liked being busy, he wanted to be able to protect Zora's Domain. But mostly he wanted to protect his friends, most importantly Mipha. That would take considerable work and effort on his part in enforcing the slacking guard work around the Domain. It might take a while to get up to Hyrule Castle standards, but Link was sure that it would get there eventually.

He placed his hands over Mipha's hands that were on his chest. He watched as Revali strayed slightly from his slight path every couple seconds. He smiled knowing he was still dazed from when Mipha had hit him.

"Tell me, did you enjoy knocking Revali out?" Link asked with a grin.

"No! Of course not!" Mipha replied instinctively. Link glanced back slightly at her. She looked up as the Rito's began to fade out of site. She sighed knowing that Link had already known the answer to his question before he'd asked it.

"Okay… I may have enjoyed it a little bit. He was berating my Champion." Mipha said as she pressed herself closer against Link's back. She took in a deep breath of his cologne and looked up at him with seductive eyes. Link smiled and turned around to look at her. He placed his hands on her hips as he said, "I've never had anyone defend my honour before."

"And it won't be the last time." Mipha spoke as she placed one hand on his chest and the other on his jaw. Link grinned as he noticed the sudden elevation difference between them. He wasn't sure if she was on a step lower than him, or if she was just hunched over slightly. He wanted to kiss her here and now, but it would seem almost awkward. But Link had a solution as he usually did with any other problem.

Link simply crouched down slightly, pressed his left arm against her knees, making her fall backwards. Then he just kept his right arm around her back as he lifted with his left arm on the back of her knees. The result was Mipha swinging up gracefully into Link's arms in a bridal carry.

She giggled mellifluously and wrapped her arms around Link's neck. She crossed one foot over the other subconsciously as she gazed into his gentle eyes. She knew that she must feel weightless in his arms. But she didn't care and she stopped thinking. She leaned towards Link and kissed him passionately, not caring who saw.

The Rito's had drifted far out of sight as Link and Mipha still stood near the railing in each others embrace. They had the rest of the day to themselves, and only Hylia herself would be able to separate them—if she would even dare try.


	16. Incognito Prowess

Dark Link looked down at the couple with contempt. He watched as his counterpart swept Mipha into his arms. He squinted angrily as he saw them kiss.

He and his new Lizal commander stood on top of the east reservoir. They were looking down at large structure that was Zora's Domain. To anyone it was a beautiful sight. But to the Lizal it was an enemy stronghold. To Dark Link, it was a painful memory that he wanted to wash away with whiskey. He shook his head in an attempt to ward off the sudden crazing.

Dark Link sat down as he pondered what to do next. He looked down at the graceful Mipha as she and Link began to stride towards the palace. He wondered where they were going and what they were doing. He saw a large group of Zora citizens coming out of the throne room. He frowned; there must have been a meeting or an announcement. Dark Link wouldn't be surprised if that meeting was about him. He shrugged in knowing that the general populace should know about him by now. Suddenly, he found his thoughts drifting back to the royal couple.

Dark Link sweetly remembered Mipha from an age old past. He remembered the happiness he used to be able to feel. The hope and security he felt in protecting those around him. But that was gone, he was a servant to Ganon now as he has been for a hundred years already. It was a pity that Mipha couldn't be turned to Ganon's side like he had been. In fact, one of the few things he remembered about her was the look of horror when he'd last seen her. She had been transfixed by the sight of her beloved warrior turned to darkness. That feeling in her mind, the deep regret and helplessness, was one of the last things she ever felt. It was also the moment that Dark Link forced himself not to feel. Feelings lead to weakness, and weakness could be exploited. He chose not to feel when he killed. He chose not to feel regret or guilt. His eyes glinted with a deep down pain as he looked at the Mipha of this world. She was alive here, and it was such a foreign concept to him now. Dark Link quickly shoved the painful memory away, he never wanted to think of that part of his life. Not again.

Dark Link's sense of tranquility was one of the main abilities that allowed him to claim so many lives before. He might be called a mass murderer, an assassin and even a servant of darkness—but he was nonetheless a professional. A hunter; that's what he called himself. He's just hunting the most dangerous animal, himself. So what if he had to kill champions and princesses? He saw himself as a living legend, an unkillable being of darkness that rose above anyone else. He was the ultimate weapon to Ganon, one that could be sent anywhere and anytime.

Dark Link's life was to appease Ganon and to kill anyone to release other Ganons. Although, there wasn't going to be a way to bring him back here—he was already banished. Killing the Champions and Zelda would speed up the process of bringing the Calamity back. For now, his plan involved taking out Mipha and Link. Dark Link grinned thinking, _I took down the Zora hierarchy once, why can't I do it again?_

He scanned Zora's Domain and tried to remember the specificity of the hallways. He had trouble as he could only remember the ruins and the sight of it falling into the river below. He knew that there was the throne room and main square—he could see them from up here. However, he didn't know where the bedrooms were since he'd never gone up into the tower. That means that attacking them while they were asleep was not an option as he wouldn't know which room to enter.

He knew of the arena that existed. He wondered if they were currently using it. He squinted as he saw quick movement around the Domain. Every Zora down there was flooding towards the main square. He noticed they all went to the left portion of it and began filing through towards the palace. Dark Link knew instantly what was going on. He stood up and held himself confidently beside the Lizalfols.

It stood, waiting patiently, as Dark Link had sat down. It was about ten minutes that Dark Link had been pondering. But suddenly, the young looking Hylian was standing beside him.

"He's in the arena," Dark Link stated, "It makes sense. All the Zora's are streaming towards it. The only reason they would all go there is if the princess's Champion was going to be getting into a fight." The Lizalfols peered down at the structure. It wasn't able to see any of the details that Dark Link was able to.

Dark Link grinned as he looked back down at the Zora Kingdom. He was able to appear anywhere at anytime he wished. He could literally just appear and strike Link down in front of everyone. He would kill the Hylian in front of the entire Zora population—including Mipha. It would destroy the morale of all the Zora. This would render Mipha as unable to fight while dealing she is with her loss. He grinned maniacally as he stared down with contempt.

"It'll be like shooting fish in a barrel."

* * *

Muzu became suddenly aware of the influx of people that were coming in to watch the training sessions. Of course, the training was always public and anyone could choose to come in and watch. But now there were more than usual. He shrugged and watched the end of the current battle as a Zora slid on his stomach out of the ring. The man groaned and rolled onto his back in mild pain. Muzu looked up at the female in the middle of the ring who stood up confidently with the wooden trident.

He clapped and said, "Good job, Cora!" She lifted her chin in accomplishment as she heard her master's praise. She looked around as she heard more and more footsteps gathering. She saw the seats slowly being filled up with Zora as they all spoke excitedly.

She looked at Muzu asking, "Is there anything planned for today?"

Muzu shrugged saying, "Should just be sparring between our warriors. Nothing I would call…"

Muzu fell silent as he watched Mipha and Link enter and come down the steps towards the ring. They stopped just outside of it and Mipha waved Muzu over. He looked at Cora and said, "Just hold on for a moment." She shrugged and walked off out of the ring as Muzu strode around it.

He bowed slightly to Mipha and Link addressing them accordingly. He asked, "What brings you here? There's no need to show your prowess among the people, my lady."

Mipha grinned saying, "I'm the not one here to have a test of skill." She nudged her elbow into Link's side. "Take your sword, bow and quiver off and lay them beside the ring. Trust me, no one will touch them. And remember that you do still have some leftover energy stored in your armour. _Don't_ use it or I will count it as cheating." Link he nodded his agreement and went to take off his equipment.

Muzu asked in amazement, "He's going to fight? He'll get hurt!"

Mipha looked at Muzu with an insulted expression. She tilted her head asking, "Why?" Muzu stammered and forced himself not to say, _because he's a Hylian._ Muzu personally did not believe that Hylians were as capable warriors as trained Zoras.

Instead he just spurted out, "He's only got a sword!"

"And a shield. What's the problem?"

Muzu huffed and rubbed his head saying, "I guess there isn't. Are you sure you want your Champion to lose in front of the people though? He's already got stories about him that are no doubt hyperboles."

Mipha rolled her eyes saying, "The incident at the bridge is true and you cannot deny it. Now you said there would be sparring matches, so let's see a sparring match."

Link took off his overcoat and laid it beside his weapons. He hates to fight while wearing heavy or baggy clothing. The Zora armour that Mipha gave him served the task perfectly. He heard an increase of the volume of conversation as he donned the traditional armour. He glanced around, realizing how much the armour meant to the Zora's. It almost meant more to them than it did to himself.

He crouched down and picked up a wooden set of weapons. The shield and sword both weighed as much as his weapons did, and he was thankful for that. Every kingdom had training weapons for every other race just for this occasion. But most places would have made them incorrectly. Luckily, these weapons were perfectly created and would give Link some consistency. He looked up at Muzu. The man looked like a capable warrior as he stood tall. He could tell that Muzu was experienced as he approached him and shook his hand.

Link nodded to him saying, "I hear you are the battle teacher around here." The Zora nodded and said, "I am. I appreciate you coming down to test yourself against our warriors and letting them hone their skills."

Link smiled saying, "It's no problem. We're all here to learn aren't we? Who am I up against anyway?" Muzu pointed out Cora, who was probably the second best Zora warrior there was—right behind Mipha.

Links eyebrows furrowed together for a second as he asked, "Just one?"

Muzu stared at him incredulously. He asked in disbelief, "You train against more than one opponent?"

Link nodded saying, "Usually, yeah. The best way to learn is to lose."

Muzu rubbed his forehead in disbelief saying, "Alright fine. If you somehow win this, then you can fight two on one."

Link shrugged his shoulders saying, "Whatever works with you. It's your battle-school."

Muzu noticed the recognition of his status and said with a slight smile, "Alright Champion. Your opponent is ready."

Link glanced behind him to see Mipha in one of the closest seats. Link grinned as he noticed that Zerox was seated directly beside her. Mipha smiled and nodded confidently towards him. He returned the nod and turned around as he entered the ring.

The arena was circular, flat area with a diameter of about twenty-five feet. The edges of the ring are marked with rigid bricks that rose about two inches out of the ground. Beyond that was a three foot drop to the ground below the platform. He looked up to see that the light for the arena was set directly above them so that there wasn't an unfair advantage to one side. Link looked away from the light and blinked his eyes a few times to readjust them. He saw his opponent walking into the ring directly ahead of him.

She was a slim Zora that was slightly taller than Link. She wore a metal helmet that perfectly formed around the frontmost fin on her head. She also wore a small chest-plate that extended upwards and around her neck. It was practical for Zora's not to wear much armour as it would affect their swimming ability. Because of this reason, that's all the armour she wore. The only other thing on her body was a couple of simple silver jewellery pieces. Link noticed her hands were up around her chest and she gripped the chest-plate she wore. She purposely readjusted it in an attempt to distract Link in their first meeting.

Link raised an eyebrow knowing that any warrior using mind tricks so early on was either highly skilled or overconfident. Mipha noticed the gesture and slumped back in her chair a little bit with an annoyed expression. Link quickly looked away from the movement. Instead, he readjusted the wrist strap on his shield and tapped the wooden sword on the front of it. When he looked up she had stopped the intentionally provocative action with an annoyed expression.

Cora frowned, usually that trick worked on any of her male opponents. But she also noticed he was using the same tactics by taking off his overcoat and winning over the crowd. She furrowed her brows and gripped her trident lightly. She took up a standard fighting stance while facing Link.

He stood there calmly, waiting for the announcer. There wasn't any need to sit in a ready stance when nothing was gonna happen for another minute.

To his expectation, Muzu called out for silence. He began saying, "I see a large crowd has come to see this fight. In case we have any newcomers, I will provide the rules of engagement. Two opponents, one on each end of the arena, will engage in melee combat. The fight can end in four ways: one fighter yields is the first way. The second is if a fighter physically cannot continue fighting in which case they will automatically yield. We hope to avoid that kind of ending as this is a friendly sparring. The third way is if one of them exits the outlined circle in which they automatically lose the battle. The last and most disgraceful way to lose is by disqualification due to cheating."

Muzu turned to the two fighters and was surprised to see Link so tame and calm in the moment before a fight. He stopped in initial surprise but realized the lesson in that. He noticed the unnecessary strain that Cora was putting herself under.

He continued saying, "Are the fighters ready?" Link and Cora both nodded with their eyes trained on each other. To Muzu's expectation, Link crouched down slowly and held his sword and shield at the ready. He nodded approvingly thinking that they might actually have a couple things to learn from the young Hylian.

Cora found the calmness unnerving. She readjusted her footing for the third time as Muzu spoke. She realized that she was way behind in the mind games and looked in awe at the confident glint in Link's eyes. She also took note of how calm and relaxed he was. He moved the tip of his sword in circles lightly through the air as he waited and rolled his shoulders to ready himself.

In reality, Link didn't even realize how intimidating he was during and before combat. Actually, he was naturally a very intimidating person. He was just standing and waiting around while preparing for the fight. He wasn't actually trying to play mind games with the female Zora in front of him. The only thing he attempted to do was when Muzu described third way of losing—leaving the circle. At that moment all Link had done was wink at Cora as she stared at him inquisitively.

Link looked around at all the mumbling smiles in the crowd. The seats were all filled but his eyes still fluttered slowly to Mipha. She was still leaned back a little in jealousy but smiled lightheartedly when Link looked back at her.

He looked back to Cora as Muzu said, "then the sparring begins in 3…" Link slid one foot back slightly and flexed the muscles in his right wrist.

"2…" Cora gripped her trident a little tighter than she normally would as she stared nervously at Link.

"1…" the voice echoed in the sudden silence in the bowl shaped room. Link smiled slightly, he always enjoyed a good battle. He had started out as a tournament fighter before being accepted into the guard. Meanwhile, Cora had grown up trying to be the best warrior in Zora's Domain.

"Begin!" Link was the first to move and he kept it simple. In fact, all he did was step forward as quickly as he could towards Cora. Cora twitched at the sudden speed in which he moved towards her. It had just been a blur of movement from her opponent. It looked as if he had just slid two feet towards her without moving a muscle. If she blinked she was sure he'd move again. She grit her teeth as she stood there dumbstruck for a couple seconds.

She had initially wanted to feint to the side and then move in from the other side but had left it too long. Instead, she started to slowly circle around Link. She held her trident steadily by her side with both hands as she kept her eyes on him. She noticed how Link moved to the centre of the circular arena as she began to move. Cora thought it was odd; most people would circle along with her. She suddenly realized why when Link shot towards her.

Link was in the centre of the circle as he stood fast looking at Cora. His plan had worked and now he prepared to get the early win. He darted forward and lunged in front of her path, leading his target. Cora would be forced to take the hit to her chest-plate or jump out of the way. She chose the smarter option and jumped out of the way of the strike. Unfortunately she had to jump backwards to avoid it.

She had already been circling Link, which means she was close to the edge of the circle. But when she had to jump out of the strike, she landed with a foot halfway off of the stone circle. Her other foot came off the ground slightly as she realized where she was. Her arms flailed as she attempted to keep her balance and stay in the circle. She expected Link to give her a shove and end the match quickly and but watched as he turned around and retook his position in the centre of the circle.

Link watched as Cora careened near the edge of the platform and heard surprised gasps from the crowd. They all fell silent as they watched Cora slam forwards back onto the arena with a tremendous effort. Everyone let out a sigh of relief and leaned forward in suspense of what would happen next.

Nothing happened. Link simply waited for Cora to stand back up. In a tournament, he absolutely would have lightly pushed her over the edge, but they were here to learn. He said low enough for only her to hear, "Don't be afraid to hit the Champion."

Cora grinned and she stood back up. She had been worried about what would happen if she was to accidentally injure him. But with his consent, she had no problem getting more aggressive.

She stood up fully and held her wooden trident firmly towards Link saying, "ready." Link nodded and immediately feinted to the left.

He saw that Cora didn't react to it so he followed through to the left. It was so quick that Cora barely had time to readjust her defence from the right to her left. She held the trident diagonally and let Link's vertical strike glance off of it. She grinned at the successful parry and leaned forward to slam the top of the the trident bluntly against Link's head. She immediately regretted it as Link held up his shield to her as he followed through with his motion.

Link had expected the parry and brought his shield up in front of him. The average fighter would back off and take the defence when parried. But Link decided to just keep through with his momentum. He shoved the shield forward roughly and felt it connect a fraction of a second earlier than he expected. He scoffed realizing she must have leaned forward trying to bat him with the blunt handle.

His arm jarred as her upper chest and face took the blunt force. He pushed his entire body forcibly to the side as soon as he felt it connect. He forced the shield upwards slightly and shoved Cora harder away from him. He lowered the shield slightly so that his eyes just showed above it. He watched as she was lifted minutely off of her feet for half a second and fell slightly backwards. She stumbled when she hit the ground and barely managed to maintain her balance.

The crowd cheered at the hits and proudly awaited for the next engagement. Cora looked up angrily and dashed forwards towards Link. She thrust the trident quickly towards his exposed waist below his shield. Link quickly lowered his shield and forced it upwards and to the left as the trident got close. The tip of the trident glanced off the shield but continued moving forward as its momentum followed through. Link gave her a taste of her own medicine as he successfully pulled off the parry.

Cora grunted as her arms were pulled suddenly to the right and upwards. She decided to follow the motion instead of going against it and gracefully spun around 360 degrees. She lowered the trident at the last moment. She swung it horizontally across the ground in front of her at the height of Link's knees. The motion forced the impressed Link to jump over it. He landed neatly on the ground and darted forward again as Cora added one last hit—a straight lunge.

She hadn't expected Link to move closer as she took her eyes off him for a second. When she glanced back, she would have described him as a weeping angel in how he moved so suddenly. She couldn't stop the force of her trident as she had already shoved it forwards and knew she'd made a mistake.

Link rested his sword on top of his shield as he got low and braced for the lunge. It hit squarely in his shield, making him slide back a couple of inches and jarring his shield arm completely. He grunted from the unexpected force behind it and looked back up. He saw the heavy breathing Cora face to face with him as her arms were pressed up against her. She was not able to fully extend the trident forward as it rested against Link's shield. Link grinned, knowing that he had crowded her attack so that she wasn't able to get the full force behind it. Link slid his sword forward and very lightly tapped the tip against her forehead—signalling a, would be, fatal hit.

Cora was breathing heavily, but not exhausted, as she realized that Link would have won again if this were a real life battle. She grit her teeth as she wrenched the trident from his shield. The wooden plate had three neat little indents in it now and Link pressed the tip of sword against the centre of her chest-plate, pushing her lightly away.

Link was breathing easily as they took their places again. He noticed that Cora was breathing harder from the heavy hits and extra movements he was forcing her to take. It never did take long to tire someone out when every hit on their weapon felt like a battering ram. Link decided to end it and go on the offensive instead of the defensive.

He dashed forward, turning a full 180 degrees as he got close. The turn was to distract Cora to the fact that Link had raised his sword behind his back and was about to bring it down with all his might. He had his elbow above his head and his hand was behind it. He knew that he could generate a fair amount of force from the acceleration distance of the sword.

However, Cora noticed it at the last second and held her trident in both hands horizontally above her. She bent her knees and leaned forward slightly, bracing herself for the hit, as she saw the lightning quick movement from the young man.

A generally accepted rule is that when someone is extremely mobile, they aren't as strong. Cora believed in this concept right up until she felt the brunt force on her arms as his sword hit her trident. She heard cracking in her trident and her arms jarred to the point she lost feeling in them. She grunted and her right knee was forced to the ground under the force of the swing.

Link felt the sword bite down into the he wood so he pushed down into it harder. He noticed the sweat beginning to bead on her forehead from the strain. Her trident also had a visible bend in the centre—the weapon would not survive too much longer. He decided to stop pressing downwards. If he kept going she'd get used to the force and realize she can strike out of with one her feet or force her trident to the right or left.

Link stood up and spun around quickly. He followed his sword arm around his body and basically slingshot it towards her side. Cora stood up when the force disappeared and stumbled forwards a step. She saw Link spin towards her and exasperatedly held her trident to the side with it pointed vertically to intercept the sword. She didn't have time to know where the blade would strike so she didn't risk a parry.

Link's sword struck hard and he felt the blade bounce off this time. He used the momentum of the bounce and in a flash of movement he spun around to the other side. Right before his blade struck true against her waist, he pulled back on it. The sword snapped to a stop a centimetre away from her hip and he noticed her late reaction to it.

Link used the same strategy and unleashed a flurry of attacks on her. He made it seem as if he hit her with some attacks and made it seem that she blocked many of them. In reality, Cora knew what he was doing in this test of reactions. But she was too exhausted to move her trident in time. It didn't stop her from trying her best.

Link grunted from the force as he stopped the blade one last time and took a step back. He let out a huff of breath from the flurry of movement. He opted to drop his shield in anticipation of the last hit. He needed the extra force for this last swing. He gripped his blade with both hands as he held it high above his head. He made sure that the anticipation for his swing was slow enough so that Cora could raise her trident to defend herself.

He noticed how when she saw the angle he was gonna take, she tilted her weapon to deflect it instead of taking the brunt force. Link was impressed that she was still able to recognize it in her state of exhaustion.

Link shook any and all thought away and angled his body in line with the trident. He brought his arms down with as much force as he physically could. His arms jarred for half a second as his blade touched the trident shaft. It hit perpendicularly on the already cracked handle. Link followed through with his motion, forcing his body diagonally downwards.

It was another half second until he felt his blade shear through the wood in the trident and his blade slam into the ground beneath them. He sank to a knee as he couldn't stop the force of his blade that time. He picked up his shield and stood back up casually.

He looked up as the crowd all fell silent. He saw his Zora contestant looking at her training weapon. It had been sheared through the centre and she was holding two separate pieces as she breathed heavily. She had a slight cut on her cheek from when Link had hit her with his shield but other than that she was untouched.

Cora knew that Link had attempted to make her look more competent then she actually was as he unleashed his flurry. But she knew exactly what had happened and was in shock from the pure speed and strength he demonstrated. She looked up at Link from her, now useless, weapon. She dropped it and barely had the energy to stand. Her numb legs started to give way and she fell lightly backwards. She landed on her rump and leaned back on her hands in defeat. In the deafening silence of the room it was all too easy to hear her.

She spoke in between rasping breaths. "I… yield…"

The crowd erupted in cheering as Cora rested against the hard ground. They all loved seeing the fight, or any good fight. In their eyes it seemed completely even between the two with Cora putting up an amazing defence. Everyone stood out of their seats in cheering at the skill of the Champion and of their own Zora warrior. Only four people had seen what the battle really consisted of.

Link and Cora obviously knew. But Mipha and Muzu observed the cautiousness carried out by Link. They knew he had pulled his strikes and knew how one-sided the battle had become towards the end.

Link crouched down beside Cora to help her up. She gratefully took his hand saying, "I clearly have a lot to learn."

Link smiled saying, "Not as much as you'd think. You're better than any Hylian or Bokoblin I've gone against." Cora grinned at the comment, she knew she had lost badly but she also knew that she was fairly skilled.

Link walked off the stage with Cora and handed her off to Muzu. The male didn't say anything but just stared at awe at the young warrior in front of him. Link said quietly, "make sure she gets some rest. And… did that look too one-sided?" Muzu's jaw gaped at the question as he realized his suspicions were true.

He was angered by the way they'd been easily beaten by a foreigner. But then Muzu remembered that he was the princess's Champion. He also knew that he had wanted to show prowess to the warriors of the Zora people without embarrassing anyone. He'd made it look like an exceptionally even duel.

Cora answered for Muzu saying, "No… it was good." She regained her breath and put a hand against her head saying, "I should have created more space."

Link shrugged saying, "We can do some one-on-one training later if you want some tips."

The female Zora looked up in awe saying, "That'd be a godsend from Hylia herself." Link nodded to her as Muzu helped her to the resting area.

He stood back up and walked over to fetch his sword and shield. He stretched his back and sighed as he heard it crack. He was still turned towards Muzu when he froze suddenly. Something was off about the stadium. Something sounded… weird. Link couldn't place it until he realized he wasn't hearing something extra. It's the fact that he wasn't hearing anything at all that threw him off. For one of the first times in his life, the crowd was dead silent.

Link then heard many audible gasps. It sounded as if everyone had collectively seen a ghost. Link was about to turn around when he felt a sudden force from behind that shoved him forward.

His right shoulder was flung forward and he fell to the ground with it. He landed on his hands and knees as pain flared from his shoulder. He heard gasps and screams from the crowd as he grunted in surprise. He looked up to see a mystified Muzu and Cora backing away towards their weapons. Link groaned in pain as his energy was suddenly sapped from his body. He heard a deep throated chuckling behind him. Link ignored the laugh and turned to look at his shoulder.

To his horror, an arrow, with the signature black corrupted essence of Dark Link, was embedded halfway into his shoulder. He felt a tingling sense of dread as a chill ran up his spine. This arrow was the same that had ruined his previous shield. It had rendered it completely useless and literally burned anyone who tried to touch it. Now, it had penetrated the Zora armour was halfway through his shoulder—the dark ripples were already beginning to reach out around the wound. Link strained to look further back and his heart sank the moment he saw his nemesis.

Dark Link stood behind him, holding an undrawn bow towards him. He lowered it and looked around at the crowd around him. He grinned at the sudden fear-stricken faces all around him. This was a feeling he was used to, but he enjoyed it each and every time. He smiled ominously as he looked back to the injured Link.

"Is the fight over so soon?"


	17. An Unforgettable Duel

Mipha stared in silent horror at the arena. She sat in the stands with everyone else as Dark Link appeared. She watched while dumbstruck as a puddle of Ganon's corruption formed on the ground behind Link. A form began to rise out of the puddle and Mipha immediately recognized the figure of Dark Link. She let out a startled gasp when she saw him. She stood up and leaned against the railing as she realized he had a bow that was already drawn towards Link. She watched in terror, knowing she wouldn't be able to do anything.

Dark Link had appeared between her and Link. The regular Link was on the far side of the arena as Dark Link fired once at him. Mipha barely heard the snap of the bowstring before she, and every other Zora in the stadium, saw the arrow begin to move in slow motion. Mipha watched as the dark arrow slammed into her beloved's shoulder. She barely heard his gasp of pain over her own scream of fright. She looked angrily at Dark Link as he spoke sarcastically about the length of the fight.

She hadn't realized that he would have the gall to come here. He was inside of Zora's Domain. He was in the epicentre of security and would have almost no way of escaping. Mipha glared at him as he lowered the bow. A glint of metal caught her eye and she saw her trident just below the railing.

Mipha was about four feet above the ground ahead of the railing. She didn't care about the small drop as she vaulted over the metal posts. She landed lightly and gripped her trident. She knew that she would have to help and heal Link, but Dark Link was the immediate danger.

Dark Link heard the movement of Mipha behind him. He grinned menacingly as he turned to look at her. He rolled his eyes as he saw her grab her trident.

"Tsk Tsk. Is that how you treat a guest? I only just got here."

Dark Link kept his palm on his right hand horizontal and his fingers to the side as he slowly raised his hand upwards.

On command, darkness began to congregate on the edges of the ring. The corruption that he had risen out of began to swirl around the circle. It seethed and seemed to sizzle as its power intensified. The Zora's in the stands held onto their loved ones—looking for immediate safety.

Mipha held her trident upwards above her head as she dashed towards the ring. She ignored the darkness as she got close to it. The heat it gave off was disorienting as she thrust the trident upwards towards Dark Link.

In an act of showmanship, he activated the barrier at the last possible second. His leather-gloved hand clasped shut into a tight fist. He grinned as the darkness around them suddenly shot upwards. It curved inward and the congealed mass met at the centre. Around the ring, there was a complete semi-sphere that kept anyone from entering it—it also kept Link from getting out. He kneeled on the ground, still coming to terms with the sudden agonizing pain and exhaustion that hit him. The black arrow began to spread it's corruption through the Zora armour. Soon enough it would begin to corrupt Link's body.

Mipha's arms jarred as her trident hit the wall of darkness. It made a deafening screech as the metal prongs scraped against it. But the wall acted as a force field and actually pushed back on the trident. It threw it backwards, along with its wielder.

Mipha landed roughly on her back as she slid a couple feet towards the stands. The crowd let out more gasps and screams as their princess's attack was cut short. Mipha groaned in helplessness as she pushed herself up. She looked at the circle and saw the solid wall begin to thin out. It didn't completely clear, but she was able to see through it.

Dark Link purposely thinned the wall until it was translucent. He wanted to kill the Champion in style; what use would that be if no one was able to see him? However, he kept the field up just enough so that no one could penetrate it.

Dark Link stood straight with both his hands on his hips. He took a deep breath and exhaled loudly. He turned slowly around, looking at all the terrified faces around him. His eyes rested on Mipha as she glared at him. The look contained a mixture of resentment and dread. Dark Link swore that he saw a hint of pleading as she glanced at her injured Champion.

Dark Link looked over at his counter part and shrugged. He was dying slowly anyways; it wouldn't hurt to wait for his execution. Dark Link frowned as he realized it would hurt. In fact, those arrows were more agonizing than being burned alive. The thought of having one of those penetrating his own body made him wince as if he heard nails on a blackboard.

The arena was silent as everyone stared at the writhing mass that was the semi-sphere. It contained their beloved Champion and a villain that they had only just learned about. Everyone was too terrified to speak, too scared to move. They could hear a pin drop because of the deafening silence.

Wordlessly, the tension began to grow. Heartbeats began to race and faces glanced around. They all began looking towards the nearest exits. But since this was a training arena, there were only two entrances that also served as exits.

In an unspoken arrangement, everyone began to move as one. Bedlam erupted as hysteria gripped the hearts of the citizens. Everyone pushed and shoved to get to the exits. Zora's screamed and shouted as they shouldered their way past the slower members.

Dark Link grinned at the sudden fear-induced panic. This was something he loved being able to do. Just by a simple appearance and a show trick, he was able to set a whole society running in fear. But he couldn't have them running. His grin died slightly as he realized Mipha hadn't moved to flee. She just stared up in defiance and hope that Link would be able to survive. A hope that she would be able to find an opening in the wall that separated her from her Champion. A hope for anything—but nonetheless it was hope.

Dark Link shrugged and casually waved his hand upwards. The way he moved made it look like he was just waving off a penniless servant that was asking for an extra rupee in payment for a fruitless task. The same darkness that surrounded the arena now shot up at the two doorways. It rose from the ground and slammed into the ceiling, creating an impenetrable barrier. Dark Link left these black and red barriers of corruption solid. Not even light could shine through them. The room fell slightly more into darkness as the only light source now was the light above the arena.

Dark Link stood in the spotlight as he watched the Zora's shove up against the barriers. He chuckled in astonishment as the unlucky few that were in the lead were shoved up against the corruption. The crowds couldn't stop themselves as they tried to shove towards the exit. The ones in the back had no idea the doors were blocked, and therefore kept trying to push the entire mass forward. But those at the doorways, they were burned the instant they touched the darkness. Many were forced up against it and their screams of terror rose above all others.

It took a couple seconds, but the crowds backed away. The noise level died slightly as people began to realize they were trapped. They looked around in terror, trying to find a new alternative. Dark Link gave them the ultimatum for their situation.

"Silence!" He shouted in his deep, echoing voice. The sound level shrunk instantly. Everyone stopped and looked back at the murderer on the stage. They all saw the injured Champion as the dark-imbued counterpart spoke.

"Sit down. All of you." Dark Link spoke in an even, commanding tone. He let out a deep throated growl as Mipha began to stir. Her pointed at her and shouted suddenly, "don't you move! The princess always gets an upfront seat."

Mipha froze, galvanized by the sudden forcefulness of the nightmare in front of her. She stopped getting up and rested back down onto her rump. She sat in despair, as did everyone else in the arena.

The seats slowly filled back up. They were all trapped in here. No one could get in or out of the arena. No one could get in or out of the ring for the fighters. They were all forced to sit back and watch as their Champion writhed in pain. They watched in horror while Dark Link watched in satisfaction.

Dark Link walked over to the huddle figure. Link had his head pressed into the ground as he tried to breathe. His arms were crossed over his stomach as he kneeled. The streaks of darkness now spread an inch from the wound as the arrow spilled out its corruption. Dark Link stood above him and looked down with contempt.

"This is the Champion of the princess? He lost the fight before it even began!" Dark Link held his arms out wide as he berated Link. "He's a disgrace! All the Champions are! I'm here to end his spree of failure."

"Why?" Link's voice rasped as he forced the question through his grit teeth. He wanted to get up and slug Dark Link across the jaw; but all his energy was being sapped directly from his muscles.

Dark Link spun to look at him. He grinned saying, "because I can, is why. Let's just skip the judge and jury because _I_ am your executioner."

Link grit his teeth and tried to force the pain out of his mind. It was gruelling. His wound burned like the fires of Goron City while his hands felt the freezing cold of the Hebra Mountains. Nerve endings cried out in searing pain as Ganon's corruption touched his body.

Despite the pain, he rose slowly. He planed one foot beneath him and heaved with all his energy. He managed to stand up and look at Dark Link.

"You won't kill me that easily."

"Oh really? Is that so?" Dark Link mused as he stepped closer to Link. He looked the hunch-backed figure up and down. Link looked decrepit now, yet he still had a fire burning in his eyes. "You're already dying. There's nothing that can stop the corruption from turning you to Ganon. You'll see the error of your ways. And when you do, I'll make you kill each and every Zora in this room. Your _beloved princess_ will be first."

Link's heart threatened to break in half as he glanced down at Mipha. She sat helplessly with her trident. She wasn't able to help Link in any possible way. She was watching the love of her life die, and soon after that, he would kill her. She could defend herself; she had the physical ability to. But mentally, she wasn't sure if she'd be able to fight him. She wasn't even sure if she'd be able to lash out at Dark Link. Even though she had tried earlier, she had actually shut her eyes the second before she lashed out. She couldn't force them open in fear of seeing the life drain from someone that looked almost exactly like Link. Mipha just wasn't able to bring herself to even envision hurting Link, yet alone killing him in self-defence.

"It's ironic isn't it?" Dark Link asked while readjusting a glove, "you were supposed to protect the princess."

Link grit his teeth and his resolve lined up with his pride. He acted out of the safety of others. He'd throw himself into the path of an arrow for any of his friends. But for Mipha, he'd die a thousand times. Dark Link was just another threat, one that could be dealt with. Link began to feel his energy feed back into his muscles as he said, "you'll have to kill me if you want to hurt her."

Dark Link stepped back as he watched the Zora armour begin glow. He'd forgotten that it had done that when he'd last fought with Link. The armour had actually destroyed one of his corrupted arrows. Dark Link only had one left as he realized that he'd made a mistake in not taking the opportunity to kill Link then and there. _Oh well. It's not like he only has wooden weapons or anything. Oh wait._

Dark Link grinned at his own joke. He looked at the defiant Hylian standing in front of him.

"You know you're still trapped in here, right?"

"I'm not locked in here with you. You're locked in here with me." Link said as his pain continued to dissipate.

Dark Link rolled his eyes. He wondered if this doppelgänger was always edgy. He shrugged his shoulders and said, "Whatever. You may have survived the arrow but you'll still die to my sword."

Dark Link grinned again as he saw the look of helplessness begin to seep back into Link's face. He got a feeling of déjà vu as he remembered the look on Mipha's face not even a minute ago. Recurring feelings aside, it was true, Link would barely be able to put up a fight against an opponent of skill with only wooden weapons. He'd be killed where he stood. He looked around at the crowd and their terrified expressions. His brow furrowed and his lips pressed together tightly. He turned back to Dark Link and held up his sword and shield at the ready.

Dark Link felt dumbstruck by the resiliency and idiocy of the man in front of him. "I would have thought you'd be smarter than that." He frowned further when Link's determined expression didn't waver.

Dark Link began to feel his hatred seething through into his speech. "You don't get it do you? You can't defeat me! I'm you but with more experience! I've killed more than you; I've lost more than you! I am a _god!_ I've literally died and come back!"

Link froze as Dark Link finished his outburst. The entire stadium fell into silence at the revelation. He died? There's no way that someone can die and come back from it. Not unless…

"Oh right, I forgot. You've never been there. Keep in mind that it's called the shrine of resurrection—not the shrine of healing." Dark Link spoke sarcastically as he rubbed the scar that lay under his leather tunic.

Link was baffled. No one has been inside of the shrine of resurrection. There was never a need to use it. There was no possible way for him to have even gotten in there.

Link stepped backward slightly as his mind raced. He spoke in confusion, "you're bluffing."

Dark Link froze and slowly grinned. His smile grew ever so slowly. A deep rumbling began to resonate from his chest. In a few more seconds, he began to slowly cackle. His laughing grew more and more intense as he leaned back. It was hard to tell whether he was a sane criminal mastermind, or an insane lunatic. Suddenly, like a jump-scare, he jumped forward a couple steps and stopped laughing instantly.

"And what if I am bluffing? Would that change your current predicament?" Dark Link spread out his arms and spun in a circle as he gazed at us handiwork. "Would you learning about my true nature set free you from this prison?" Dark Link turned to look at the competent warrior in front of him. "I think not."

Link grit his teeth as he scanned Dark Link. He had a sword, shield and bow—all of which were made out of metal. All Link had was a damaged wooden shield and a wooden broadsword. He'd never have a chance, but he wasn't going to die without a fight. But deep down, Link knew solemnly that this was his death. He could very well die here. He knew that he could have died at any moment while working for Zelda, but right now his heart was racing with the adrenaline.

 _Adrenaline._ Link remembered his first encounter with Dark Link. The faster his heart had gotten pumping, the more energy he used. The extra energy made him almost super-human in his physical ability. He might actually have enough energy left in the Zora armour to defeat Dark Link. If it was able to fend off the corrupted arrows, maybe it could fend off his other weapons?

The two legends stared at each other with equal amounts of determination and hatred. Tension in the room began to silently build up. Zora's held their breath. Mipha covered her mouth to keep herself from making any involuntary noises. Cora and Muzu sat down on a bench, knowing there was nothing they could do. No one could wield the Master Sword that could break the barriers. Only Link could, and he was separated from his weapon, left only with the wooden counterparts.

Dark Link raised an eyebrow as he unsheathed his sword. He pulled it out from behind him and held it up lightly. He used his left hand to reach back and grab his metal shield, strapping it into place on his arm. Link stood his ground as he watched his nemesis prepare for the battle. Even though this would be a battle to the death, he still felt it necessary to allow his opponent time to ready himself.

Dark noticed the courtesy and shrugged with a grin while saying, "Always the good sportsman, huh?"

Link's brows furled together as he got tired of the constant degrading tone of Dark Link's voice. "Just get this over with."

Dark Link smiled at the snappy response. They both knew how one sided this battle currently was. He advanced slowly towards Link with his weapons ready. "I've never seen someone so eager to die."

Everyone was riveted on the two fighters. No one wanted to miss what was going to happen to their beloved Champion. Even if he was to die, it would be honourable and with reason. Although, no one actually wanted to see him die. But it was hard not to watch the glowing Link fight the shadow Link. Everyone wanted to know whether the light would shine through the darkness, or if darkness would swallow the entire arena. Either way, the darkness swung first.

Dark Link swung diagonally downwards at Link. It was lightening quick and he barely had time to react. Link managed to sidestep out of the way just in the nick of time. He wouldn't risk parrying or blocking with his weak weapons. He knew that Dark Link's sword would shear directly through the wood and leave Link with even less defence than he currently had—and that was already at a bare minimum.

Dark Link watched in surprise as Link managed to dodge the swing. Odd, no one had been able to move so quickly before. He frowned as he remembered that he was fighting himself, not the average warrior. His frown deepened as he saw Link's sword moving up towards his head.

The hilt of his wooden blade made a blunt _thud_ against Dark Link's forehead. The dark Hylian's head was thrust backwards from the sheer force. He blundered backwards a couple steps. He clasped a hand over his head for a second, training himself to ignore the sudden pain. At least he isn't able to bruise as there was no sign of a wound when he lowered his shield hand. His seething eyes were slowly revealed to Link. All he could see was pure hatred in the deep red pupils. It was pure malice that just wanted to strike out—to destroy everything that ever existed.

"I suffered so why shouldn't you?!" Dark Link shouted out of spite and fury.

Link twirled his sword tip slightly in front of him as he said, "That's the difference between you and me. I suffer so that other people don't have to!" Link shouted the last couple words as he dashed forward, thrusting towards the centre mass of his opponent.

Mipha watched the two legendary figures as they clashed.

Over and over, they swung at each other.

Over and over, they parried and blocked each other.

Over and over, they failed to gain advantage over the other.

The Zora's cheered Link on against his evil counterpart. They wooed at every successful parry he made and booed at every action Dark Link took. Mipha sat in despair as she became more and more desperate. Her significant other was fighting for his life and all she was doing was sitting down. She needed to do something. She needed to help Link. She closed her eyes and swallowed her fear. When she opened her eyes, she exhaled slowly to calm herself. Her gaze slowly drifted to Link's equipment on a nearby bench. If she could get him his weapons, he might stand a chance in breaking the deadlock. She was galvanized into action when she saw the soft glow of Link's armour start to die down.

Dark Link looked over as he saw Mipha dart towards the arena. He immediately knew what she was going for. He took his focus off of Link for a second and waved his hand towards the stash of equipment. He couldn't risk whatever she had planned. If she somehow knew how to break the barrier he'd created around the arena, he'd be swarmed by guards immediately. That was something he couldn't afford. Another thing he couldn't afford was to make a mistake. As shadows enveloped around the glowing Master Sword and cut off Mipha from grabbing them, Dark Link realized that he had made a mistake in the act of trying to limit his mistakes. A would-be fatal mistake if Link had real weapons.

He had been distracted for a second. The average warrior wouldn't be able to recognize the opening or be quick enough to strike at the open defence in the limited time span. But his opponent was Link. A Link that was much faster and stronger than he was, due to the energy given by the Zora armour. Because of his elevated reaction speed, Link was able to close the gap, slashing his blade downwards towards Dark Link's neck.

Link saw his opponents pupils widen as the hardened wood slammed into cartilage. He was surprised Dark Link's trachea wasn't crushed by the impact. Link backed off as a sudden burst of coughing came from Dark Link. It was more like violent heaving as the figure tried to breathe. Link glanced down at a startled Mipha as she stared at the sudden outcropping of shadows over the weapon she'd been scrambling to get to. He realized she must have distracted Dark Link which had given him the perfect opportunity.

He looked back up at the shadow-imbued Hylian as he clutched at his throat with his shield hand. He gasped for air as he fought down the pain. Pain was the enemy. If he was overcome by pain, he was overcome by his opponent. No one could defeat him. Not with pain. Not with skill. Not even with luck. Dark Link never lost a fight, and today wouldn't change that record.

His eyes burned with rage as he saw the Zora armour light up again like a candle. The positive hit must have reinvigorated Link's adrenaline as he stood there confidently. But overconfidence was a weapon if used correctly. Dark Link grinned slightly as he began to start breathing normally. As he expected, the glowing Hylian was charging him, hoping to get another hit in before he could fully recover. But Dark Link was smart. Smart enough to fake a longer recovery.

Link charged forward with his sword held out behind him. He held his shield up in front of him as he swiftly closed the distance between him and Dark Link. But something happened that made him regret his decision. One second Dark Link was coughing and clutching at his throat. The next second, he threw down his shield and thrust his sword forward with both hands.

Dark Link smirked as he saw his blade inching forward in slow motion. He knew that no one could dodge it at the rate it was moving. But to his dismay, Link began to slide to the side as he rushed forward. Dark Link realized too late that the extra energy from the Zora armour had further increased Link's reaction speed along with his physical ability. He was able to sidestep slightly to the left and keep moving forward.

Link grunted with the force of his swing as everything seemed to move in slow motion. It was as if Dark Link had frozen in time as Link moved at normal speeds. He thrust his sword forward, directly into Dark Link's ribs.

Even though his blade wasn't sharp, he was still able to apply a force behind it. This blunt force travelled from the blade and directly into a small area on Dark Link's sternum. Link heard a small crack as the rib cage of his opponent caved in ever so slightly. To Link's surprise, it didn't move as far as he thought it would. The momentum carried Link further forward, forcing him to sidestep around and behind Dark Link, waiting for the reaction to the pain.

The reaction never came. Dark Link was more proficient than this Link at tranquility—the act of feeling nothing. Maybe it was the endless physical pain he endured. Maybe it was all the killing he had done. The first murder had been devastating for his soul. The second had only shaken his boots. The hundredth dead innocent barely seeped into his consciousness. He was conditioned to feeling nothing. No pain. No happiness. No nothing. Even though he'd let the pain get to him at the start of the fight, he had reconditioned himself as he barely felt his sternum crack.

Instead, Dark Link swung blindly behind him horizontally. He aimed low, wanting to slice at Link's ankles. Of course, if he hit his mark Link wouldn't have ankles anymore. He hoped that the sudden movement and lack of reaction to his injury would catch his target off guard. Although Dark Link was correct in this assumption, he still had no way of countering the superhuman reactions.

Link grunted as he leapt into the air. He figured that was the best way to avoid to low slice that would have left him a cripple for life. He leaned forward in the air and rolled forward, over Dark Link. The crowd gasped at the sudden viciousness of the attacks. Many turned away, fearing the end would be coming soon.

It felt like an hour until Link touched down lightly. Even though it had taken only two seconds, his elevated heart rate made it seem like much longer. It didn't help his nerves as he saw Dark Link staring up at him as he sailed through the air. Although, Dark Link wasn't able to hold his upwards gaze. As if the shining armour wasn't bad enough, Dark Link had inadvertently gazed directly into the intense light source above them. It was a large outcropping of luminous stone that was focused through a series of lenses downwards. It created a spotlight for the arena. And with an intense, focused light being directed into Dark Link's pupils, it blinded him almost instantly.

Link turned around and held up his shield, expecting a hit. He froze as he looked at his opponent. Dark Link was very susceptible to bright lights, it quite often annoyed him. Link figured this out as he saw Dark Link struggling to keep his eyes open after peering into the searing light. Link held his sword and shield at the ready as he felt his energy beginning to fade away. He was losing his advantage every second he continued to fight. This was increasingly apparent as he realized he was too slow in utilizing Dark Link's blindness.

What neither of the combatants noticed is the fading of the barriers. With Dark Link's distraction and weakening strength, came the weakening of the barriers. As Link landed and turned, the barrier around the arena itself began to fade away. Splotches of it faded away at first. Then the spots begin to grow, exposing more and more of the arena. The barriers around the exits began to weaken, although they didn't fade away yet. But the arena was almost fully clear of corruption, along with the outcropping around Link's equipment.

The Dark Hylian stumbled backwards and blinked his watering eyes rapidly. Sometimes he really hated having permanent night vision and this is the exact reason. Dark Link was able see a blurry figure in front him. He knew immediately that Link was there and ready to attack at any moment. Dark Link strained his eyes as he heard Mipha call out his name. He cursed internally at himself and reminded himself that she'd never call out fondly to him like she did to Link.

Link turned to Mipha and saw her holding the Master Sword. It was in its sheath as she tossed it up and into the arena. Link didn't think about how he wasn't encased in darkness anymore as he stood up straight to catch his weapon. The wooden sword clattered against the ground as Link held out his hands to his familiar weapon of choice.

His hands enveloped around the sheath as it got close. He swiftly pulled out the glowing blade and stared at Dark Link as he threw the sheath unceremoniously to the ground.

Dark Link fully recovered his vision and stood up straight to look at Link. He noticed the glow in his armour was starting to die down, but he also noticed the new glow—that of the Master Sword that Link now held. His eyes burned with rage as he realized the barriers had faltered. His soul itself erupted in fury as he realized that it was himself that had faltered. Dark Link snarled and charged towards Link out of pure malice.

Link knew the fight was over the second that Dark Link moved. The second that his ambition and seething spite overtook his composure and skill was the second that Dark Link would lose the fight. A man acting out of anger had no technique—no skill to follow his strength. It was like taping a sword to the arm of a bear and telling it to duel someone. The creature would undoubtedly have the strength to do it, but it would have no indication of any skill on to use a sword.

Dark Link struck out with the strength of that same bear. Except he made a rookie mistake as he raised he sword early, telling his exact plan. Link recognized the startup of a direct overhead swing. With the force behind it, he'd never be able to block the attack. But he could easily counter it.

Link simply stepped to his right and slashed his blade upwards diagonally. He saw his blade flick across the surprised face of Dark Link as he charged past him, missing the poorly planned attack.

Dark Link realized his grave error as his sword struck the ground. He froze solid as his blade bit slightly into the concrete below them. Something was wrong. He couldn't tell what it was, but something had gone horribly wrong as he had lashed out in rage. A feeling of dread ran up his spine and his mouth suddenly felt very dry. He looked over at Link and noticed the thin trail of black blood that dripped from the sword. Dark Link stood up in horror as he realized what was wrong. He couldn't see out of his right eye.

Slowly but surely, Dark Link felt a warm sensation on the right portion of his face. All sense of being able to ignore pain fleeted from him. The warm sense turned to burning. Burning turned into pain. Pain turned into agonizing torture.

Dark Link doubled over as he clawed at his own face. He felt a shallow gash on his cheek and forehead, one that lead directly across his right eye. He teetered back and forth as he screamed in pain. It was like a slow wave, slowly consuming his conscious mind. When he thought the intensity stopped, it just grew more and more agonizing. He already knew that his eyeball was completely destroyed. He'd never be able to see out of it again. He'd never be able to accurately shoot a bow over long distance. He'd never be able to perform some of the impossible maneuvers that he was known for.

Dark Link cursed several times at Link. He scrambled away and fell backwards as he kept one hand clasped over his face. A bright light shone from the wound and Mipha swore that she could hear it sizzling. Dark Link took ragged breaths and attempted to quell his sudden fear. It was an emotion he hadn't felt in a long time. He looked up at Link and knew that he wouldn't be able to continue fighting. He grit his teeth and spoke through the blood that dripped over his teeth, "You'll pay for this."

And with that, he sunk into the ground. He slowly descended vertically into a puddle of Ganon's corruption. His one good eye spewed out too many emotions to count as he glared at Link. The puddle of corruption began to shrink as soon as his dark head submerged below the surface. With the disappearance of Dark Link, came the disappearance of the barriers that cut the Zora's off from the outside world. However, no one motioned to move. Instead, cheering erupted in the stands. The enemy that had attacked the Champion was repelled, and they were all safe yet again. Everyone in the stands decided that they'd had enough violence for a lifetime as they stood up to cheer for their Champion.

Link looked up at the cheering faces. He was exhausted from the fighting and the last semblance of energy filtered from his body. He sank to his knees as Mipha clambered up and onto the arena circle. She crouched down beside him and wrapped her arms around him protectively. She looked up at the lingering terror in the stands that was being quickly replaced with joy. She looked down at her victorious beloved and soothed him quietly.

She didn't say anything to him. Instead they both sat there, letting their heartbeats begin to rest. The tension was beginning to loosen as they crouched down, trying to sort through the sudden rush of emotions. Little did they know that Dark Link was doing the exact same thing—except he was going to take much longer than just five minutes to recover from the fight.


	18. Those Three Words

**Hope you are all enjoying the story thus far. Also, to whoever it was that requested lemon, I won't be writing any explicit sexual content. The most explicit I got was saying breast in an earlier chapter. Albeit, there will be implicit adult themes like the accidental grab in chapter 9; but lemon is not what this story is about.**

* * *

The throne room seemed brighter than usual. Maybe it was the gleaming metal from the rain; or maybe the luminous stones seemed to shine brighter during the night. Either way, Link found it difficult to keep his eyes open as he looked up at Dorephan.

Shortly after the fight with Dark Link, Link and Mipha had both been summoned to the throne room. The entrances were swarming with Zora's as guards had to hold them back—everyone wanted in; everyone wanted to see the royal couple, specifically Link. The spectacle in the arena had, with cold hands, gripped the hearts of every Zoran in their domain. But now it was a joyful memory, one of prowess and the verisimilitude of Link's natural skill. Any doubt of the Hylian had disappeared with the defeat of Dark Link. Instead, it is now replaced with respect. No one would have the gall to insult the Champion unless they wanted to be shamed by all of society. The same would go for disrespect to the princess—because then that individual would have to deal with the Champion, or even worse, Mipha herself.

Mipha stood beside Link, her right arm twined around his left. It felt like their entire lives revolved around fighting now. At every twist and turn along their path of adventure was another adversary that wanted a chance to fight them. It made her stomach turn sideways as she wondered how much more blind turns their path had ahead of them. She frowned as she remembered what she had told Link at the bridge when they first arrived. _I'm not separating from my Champion that easily._ What a lie that had been, the literal day after he had been trapped in an arena by himself in a fight to the death. Mipha grit her teeth and strengthened her grip around Link's arm slightly. Luckily there hadn't been any death, who knows what the citizens would have though if Link had killed his attacker. She shook the thought out of her head—Link isn't a murderer. It would have been self-defence anyways.

As Mipha kept thinking and strengthening her care for Link, he was having the most menial and boring thoughts a person could have. Link frowned as he wondered why everything seemed to come back to the throne room. It was like they couldn't go a day or two without having to come in here for an audience with the King. He wasn't being disrespectful of authority, but he just found it odd. Link's frown deepened as he wondered when he'd be able to leave Zora's Domain. It would be too risky with Dark Link around, but they couldn't hide in here forever. Eventually he would be needed for a diplomatic mission or a trip back to Hyrule Castle. He also hated being cooped up for too long.

The couple were forced out of their thoughts when Dorephan cleared his throat. The only other people in the room were a couple guards as they kept re-instructing people that they cannot enter into the throne room at this time.

Dorephan leaned forward towards them. He noticed that they both adopted blank faces as he made his intent to speak clear. It was odd; usually they were more perked up by an audience with him. Dorephan pushed the thought out of his head as he convinced himself that they must be tired of all the violence.

"It seems I'm one of the only Zora that didn't get to witness the fight." Dorephan said with a slight grin.

"Maybe that's for the better." Link said solemnly as he stood confidently on the platform. Dorephan didn't seem as intimidating anymore to him. Link wondered if he was starting to get overconfident in his life. He knew as well as Dark Link that overconfidence is more life-threatening than a sharpened blade.

Mipha spoke before another silence could develop. "It was a stalemate for most of the fight anyways. At least now we know that Dark Link has the exact same skills as my Champion." Mipha stressed the last two words inadvertently as she admired Link. It took a second for Mipha to realize she was staring at him and she looked away back to her father. She frowned knowing that she had trouble hiding her affection.

Link smiled slightly as Mipha looked away from him. The use of his title made his heart ever so slightly warmer.

Dorephan decided not to comment on the couple and their attraction. He was starting to dislike the idea of someone being so close to his daughter. He leaned back and rubbed his chin in thought. He changed the subject of thoughts back to what they were talking about.

"So… about Dark Link. I heard he made quite some odd remarks back there."

"He did." Link said bluntly. He was still tired from having the Zora armour drain his energy. Of course, Mipha had given him to get him back on his feet but he wasn't physically tired. His mind was still lagging behind the energy spike as the chest plate softly glowed. This resulted in him staring blankly at Dorephan as he failed to hear the unspoken question.

"Soooo…?" Dorephan asked as he waved his hand forward, imploring Link to continue.

Link looked at the King like an idiot. He opened his mouth to ask what the question was supposed to be. He never got out the dumb-witted question out as Mipha responded for him instead.

"He said that he had died before. He even spoke of the shrine of resurrection." Mipha spoke as she glared at Link in annoyance. She had no idea of knowing how his mind was a dog chasing its own tail when it should be chasing after a Frisbee.

Dorephan nodded in thought. He spoke after a moment of consideration, "do you believe him? Did he really go to be revived in the shrine?"

Link shook his head to clear it. Although it didn't do much to help him, he recognized the question properly this time.

"No one has access into the shrine. Only a Sheikah Slate or Sheikah member can open it. Even if someone had gotten access, we have several guards there that rotate positions every three hours. There's no way someone could have gotten in there, be revived, and leave in the span of three hours. In fact it would take years. Maybe even a hundred." Link spoke clearly even though his mind was enshrouded in fog. He frowned at his seemingly sudden exhaustion as he spoke. It was beginning to clear, slowly but surely. Nonetheless it was extremely annoying to Link as he tried to make sense of the entire situation.

Dorephan rubbed his eyes in confusion. Mipha decided to also answer his question. "It's impossible for him to have gone into the shrine you're right. But it didn't seem like he was lying. Maybe that's how he was corrupted. Through death he turned to Ganon?"

Dorephan shrank even further onto his throne. Why did everything get so complicated within the past couple days? He shrugged his shoulders in helplessness saying, "maybe? I don't know. Maybe he is lying, maybe he is telling the truth. I'll believe anything by now considering he's a literal copy of you, Link."

Link didn't speak but simply just nodded to Dorephan. He didn't want to try and guess about what Dark Link was or where he comes from. He'd just soon enough defeat him or learn from the Hylian himself.

Dorephan barely saw the nod as he waved away all the convoluted thoughts. "Enough of this! It's no use to just try and guess everything. We're just gonna have to find out later I guess. Anyways, I have a gift for you, Link."

Link perked up slightly at the word gift. He liked gifts. He looked around the room, expecting someone to be walking towards them. However, there wasn't a servant to be seen. Just the guards holding the paparazzi mass at bay. Link noticed that the crowd had died down slightly. Maybe the initial amazement of the battle was wearing off.

Link looked back towards the throne when Mipha nudged him sharply in the side with her elbow. He looked down at her in confusion. She rolled her eyes at the inquisitive stare.

"You can't seriously tell me that you didn't notice the chest at the base of the throne." Mipha said sarcastically as she looked directly at the throne. Link followed her gaze and, to his amazement, there was a stone chest directly in front of them. He shut his mouth with an audible click and readjusted his footing. Link frowned angrily at himself as he realized that it must have been there the entire time. He hadn't seen it at all until Mipha pointed it out.

"Really?!" Mipha asked him incredulously. Link stayed silent through his embarrassment. He tended to stay silent whenever he felt that he could easily embarrass himself. Combined with the way he wants to silently bear his burdens made it so he was silent most of his life. Mipha rubbed her eyes in exasperation at his laziness. _Or was it that he actually was unable to notice it?_

Mipha squinted at Link as he glanced up at Dorephan. The King spoke but Mipha didn't hear it. Instead she noticed how Link's eyes wavered and never really focused on one subject for a while. Usually, Link would hold eye contact with someone for unusually long periods when talking. It gave him a sense of dominance and intimidation as most people couldn't hold his gaze for long. But now his pupils moved side to side erratically. Mipha was starting to realize the kind of state he was in.

To further test her theory, she slid her hand down into Link's. She knew that Link valued their closeness to each other; she also knew how his sub conscious mind can betray his emotions. Just by holding his hand, she was able to tell what he was thinking most of the time. If he constantly readjusted his grip, he was feeling nervous or anxious. If Link held tight, he was unsure of something or worried. If he didn't react to her, he is deep in thought. There's a hundred other small indicators along with how much he speaks and his body language. But Mipha was confident she could read him like an open book.

As expected, Link tightly held onto her hand. He was looking for stability in his frail mind and Mipha's touch provided him a platform in which to stand. Of course he still couldn't fully think straight but knowing that she was right beside him gave some clarity. He looked down at her as he tried to focus his eyes. He saw the caring and loving face that he was hoping to see. A light burned inside of him as he realized that she knew how he was feeling. Odd, he thought he was hiding it fairly well.

Dorephan cleared his throat again. He was ever so slightly annoyed that his request was left unanswered. His daughter and her boyfriend looked up at the sudden sound. It seems silence grew easily in the throne room. Dorephan hated silence, so he repeated himself.

"Well, go on. Open it up."

Link looked down again and remembered the chest. He shrugged and stepped off the platform. He made his way with Mipha trailing slightly behind him. He was glad that she made no intention of letting go of his hand as they made their way. Link wondered if he looked as graceful as she did when they strode around together. He shook his head as the benign thoughts began to come back. _Focus! All you have to do is open a god damn chest!_

Link stopped in front of the large rock. That's literally what it looked like. It's as if they found a rock that looked like a chest and then bound it together with steel and rope. Link placed his hands on it and was about to open it but froze. He remembered a time that Zelda had shown him a chest. He had rushed down to open it in hopes of treasure. In fact he remembered her using the word gift. But to his misfortune, that chest had been what Zelda called a "prank."

Zelda had led him to a cave near Hyrule Castle. She just happened to stumble near it and convince Link to venture inside. That's where he found the chest. It bore a heavy resemblance to the one he currently had his hands on. But when Link had opened that chest, there was no treasure. Not even Mipha could convince him that it was, in any way, a gift. Link frowned as he remembered the sudden fluttering of wings. Huge red eyes that swirled around him instantaneously the second he opened it. He had opened a chest out of pure faith, and instead found about a hundred Keese that had swarmed him immediately.

Link jumped back into reality and took his hands off of the chest. He looked back up at Dorephan and asked suspiciously, "what's in it?"

The King leaned back in slight surprise at the sudden aggression. Instinctively, he wanted to calm Link down. Dorephan stopped himself as he realized how Link had galvanized sudden fear into his heart. He frowned as he took a mental note of the charisma inside the young Hylian.

Dorephan spoke evenly and calmly to Link. "That would spoil the surprise! Gotta keep this one a secret." Link squinted suspiciously at the King again. Monarch or not, Link suddenly did not trust Dorephan's word. Then he realized he was in a royal throne room. If they decided to treat him as harshly as Zelda had at times, they'd be punished severely. Link forced his paranoia away and adopted reason instead. If there was something along the lines of a hundred keese in there, Link would have a very stern talking to with everyone in the room.

He opened the chest slowly and cautiously. To his relief, nothing spring out of it. In fact, the thing was mostly empty. Link noticed that he had sub consciously stepped back when he'd opened it. He stood up straight in annoyance as he realized how foolish he must look. _Scared of a chest? Really?_ Sometimes Link really wanted to slap the voice in his head. All it seemed to do was berate him or create diatribes about his insecurities.

Link blinked his eyes and tried to force away the stray thoughts. How could he be so distracted now? Did the draining of energy really affect his mind this much? Link rubbed his eyes and leaned overtop the chest. To his surprise, it was armour. More specifically, it was a helmet and greaves that rested on the bottom. This was something that Link hadn't been expecting.

He picked them up and looked at the two different pieces of armour. The helmet resembled the shape of a Zora's head. It had two flaps that came down the side that simulated the look of fins. It also had a metal plate on the front, just above his forehead.

The greaves were as intricate as the armour he wore. They had webbed feet and looked to be made in layers. The first layer was the soft yet tough blue leggings. They looked like they'd fit his form as well as the chest plate. The next layer were brown scales that looked like leather from farther away. Except on his right hip there was one scale which was brighter than the rest.

Link knew why it was different automatically. That one red and silver scale was one of Mipha's; a scale that was harmlessly removed and forged into the armour. Every Zoran princess did this for their husband. It also gave identifiable marks to the armour to prevent it from being counterfeited at any point in time. Link looked at his left shoulder and the saw faint sheen of the red scale under the metal shoulder plate. He grinned, knowing that Mipha hadn't just created a chest plate; she'd created the greaves too.

The last layer was the silver metal which was mostly on the bottom to protect his calves and also partially above the scales. It had intricate designs with swirls and flatter, darker metal that blended in with the designs. It was a truly beautiful work of art and defence that he was being given.

He looked at Mipha as he held up the armour. She had a bright smile as she awaited his opinion. He simply said under his breath, "it's beautiful."

Mipha wanted to jump in joy but instead contained herself. She'd been worried that Link wouldn't find the rest of his armour set as appealing as the chest plate had been. She stepped forward hurriedly saying, "of course it's beautiful, I made it."

"Thank you, Mipha. This means a lot to me." Link said with a smile. He battled with his head to stay afloat above the fog. His head was starting to become clouded again, even through his momentous joy. Mipha stepped forward towards as his eyes drifted slightly away from hers.

She got beside him and she put a hand over his as he looked at the armour again. She asked in a hushed whisper, "You sure you're okay?"

"Yeah. Just a little tired."

"You can barely keep your eyes in one place for more than a few seconds."

"I'm not gonna disagree with you about that. Let's just be heading back soon, yeah?" Mipha nodded her agreement to Link as he finished his sentence. She closed the chest and looked at the equipment he carried. She gently took the helmet out of his hands. She raised it and slid t down onto his head. It fit firmly and she admired the Zoran look on her Hylian beloved. The look fit him rather well in her mind.

She said as she looked him up and down, "that is made out of dragon scales you know. It's one of the toughest materials out there."

Link donned the helmet atop his head. It didn't feel like scales, but he wouldn't be surprised if the Zoras could manipulate or even melt down scales into armour. He looked up to Dorephan as the king spoke again.

"That helmet wasn't fully created by my daughter, but the greaves are completely of her design. It's a truly unique set of armour that you wear." Dorephan said with pride in Mipha.

Link studied his armour again. He loved it and wanted to be able to wear it as soon as they could. But it was already night, so he would have to wait for the next day before they could show it off. He looked behind him to see that most of the Zora's had left the throne room gates. It seems that sleep was on their mind too.

Dorephan sensed the thought. "I'll leave you two to work out the details on those pieces of work. Try to have a less eventful day tomorrow will you? I meant it when I told you to enjoy yourselves."

Mipha nodded and then curtseyed to her father. Link bowed slightly as he held the greaves in his arms. Mipha put an arm around Link to guide him as she said, "of course, we will enjoy ourselves tomorrow. Maybe a little more on the relaxation side than the training." Link grinned at her remark.

"I like that plan." He said to her with a smile. With that, they both turned towards the doorway to the throne room and towards the fish shaped tower that housed the bedrooms.

* * *

Link was still a little loopy as Mipha closed her bedroom door behind them. He could have sworn they had entered the wrong door, yet they were unmistakably in her room. He frowned as he realized how slow he was at the moment.

Link frowned as he looked around the silver-clad scales on the walls. He couldn't even remember the trip up the stairs. In fact he barely remembered the meeting they just had with Dorephan. The memory he was searching for sparked as he saw the greaves he still carried. He stood there gazing at them for a couple seconds, mesmerized by the seemingly new piece of armour yet again. He was oblivious to everything around him, he didn't even hear Mipha's question.

She stood in front of the door and looked at Link, waiting for a response. She frowned as she saw his blank stare at his new armour set. She sighed in annoyance for a second. It felt like she was taking care of a child—specifically Sidon. Mipha rubbed her eyes knowing that she should take Link's advice and not use her powers on him all willy-nilly. The greatest warrior in all of Hyrule stood in front of her. Yet, her Champion has been reduced to the mental state of a confused drunk.

She repeated her question to him, "Why don't you sit down?"

Link looked up at the sound of her voice. He could barely keep his mind on one subject at first. He felt like a cat and everything around him was either a ball of yarn or a laser dot. He registered the question this time and saw her gesture. Her followed the wave of her arm towards the bed and nodded his agreement.

After setting the greaves down in the walk in closet, Link sat on the bed. He rubbed his head as he tried to keep it clear. The fog came and went as he tried to think clearly. Link let his hands fall to his side as he remembered everything about Dark Link and his duel. He frowned as he wondered why that was the one thing he could remember so vividly. He remembered the threats toward Mipha. He also remembered the part where he almost killed a man in front of all the Zora's. He realized now why he couldn't take his mind off of the subject.

 _Guilt._

It was a feeling of dread. It was something that felt like an invisible hand stroking the hairs on his arms the wrong way. Chills ran along his spine. His fingers felt cold but still sweat profusely. Link's stomach felt queasy and made him nauseous. He tried to force the feeling away, but all it did was give him a stronger headache.

Mipha noticed the sudden uncomfortable look on Link's face. She had a knack for body language and had always tried to read people to know what they thought. But what she saw in Link was an emotion she'd never seen him show before. She could see the guilt, but she had no idea why he was feeling it. As far as she remembered, the duel wasn't all too violent and had very little bodily harm. In fact, the two warriors had only gotten two or three true hits on the other. She thought in the same wave length that every Zora did. No one saw the arena fight as a tragedy—it was actually a memorable moment and a show of prowess from their princess' Champion.

Mipha sat beside Link as he stared blankly at his hands. He was looking at the tiny drops of blood spatter on his hands. Yet as he continued to stare, he saw less and less as his eyes grew out of focus.

She reached over and covered his hands with her own. He looked up at her with pained eyes. Mipha smiled encouragingly saying, "What's wrong?"

Link stood up again saying, "nothing. Just… still tired from your powers." Link said the last improvised line with a smile. The smile never reached his eyes.

Mipha didn't say anything to Link; she had no need to. She simply leaned back on her hands and crossed her legs. Link looked down at the suddenly small Zora that glared up at him. Mipha had her head tilted down as she held a comforting grin. Link immediately felt obligated to speak his feelings. His heart leapt into his throat as he remembered that he should bear his burdens and not let others bear it. But as he continued to look at her, he found it impossible to look away.

The alluring eyes that gazed into his soul insisted he speak. Link opened his mouth instinctively to speak to her. The rain outside battered as the silence between them grew. However, they both spoke volumes through it.

Link tore his gaze away and rubbed his chin. He was annoyed that the harder he tried to forget the fight, the more he kept thinking about it. Mipha stood up in annoyance as her plan failed. She had gotten so close to enticing him to speak of his feelings. But if something was unrightfully eating away at her Champion's conscious, she wouldn't give up that easily.

"Link, being tired isn't an excuse for what you're feeling."

"You don't understand."

Mipha frowned at his words. She stepped closer to him. He stood fast, refusing to meet her gaze. Mipha sighed in worry as she looked at the broken warrior in front of her. She placed a hand on his chin and gently pulled his head to look at her. As soon as she did, she spoke very soothingly to him. It felt like she was talking to someone that was lying on their deathbed. It was like telling gentle white lies that would rest a conscience temporarily.

"Make me understand. What is it that's going on in that thick skull?"

Link looked at her as she asked the question. His mind seemed unnaturally clear as he remembered the duel. He looked back into Mipha's eyes again. Instead of seeing an urging for him to speak, all he saw was caring and comfort—a look of understanding, no matter what he would say.

Link's voice cracked as he said, "I almost killed a man in front of almost every Zora alive. Children could have seen me execute a man as they sat, trapped in an arena. I permanently injured Dark Link when I may have been able to incapacitate him without injury. I could have avoided bloodshed if I hadn't rushed at the end."

Mipha listened and she realized what Link was so upset about. He wanted the perfect ending for everything, one without death or sacrifice. He was seeing a travesty in his memories of the duel. Mipha opened her mouth to soothe his conscious, but shut it slowly as she realized that she had no idea what to say. Mipha looked behind her at the patio across the room. She smiled as she remembered that actions speak louder than words.

Link gasped as Mipha grabbed his hand and tugged him towards the opposite end of the room. It felt like his arm was almost pulled out of its socket as she dragged him towards the patio. He barely even heard her say, "Look at this then!"

Link stood beside Mipha on the platform. It overlooked Zora's Domain much like his room in Hyrule Castle had; except Hyrule Castle didn't have a tower that was carved to look like a fish. In fact, Zora's Domain was made of one piece of rock. It had been carved and broken down into the spire and platform that it is today. Zora's Domain was truly a remarkable piece of art.

Link saw very little movement in the area below them. The couple flickering lights as the deafening rain blotted them out. The landscape and waterfalls around them looked gorgeous from up here. He admired the view for a second before his mind leapt back into the fog and memories. He looked down sadly at Mipha and asked, "What'd you want to come out here so badly for?"

"Link. It's raining."

Link looked up directly into the sky. He frowned at her words. Of course it was raining. It had been raining ever since the fight between him and Dark Link. _Wait a second…_ his thoughts began to rest as Mipha spoke comfortingly.

"You remember when I gave you the Zora armour right? It had been raining much like today. Every Zora loves the rain. It's seen as a day of rejoice and a moment of prosperity. It tends to rain during major events in Zoran history. Therefore everyone sees it as a good sign. But you already know this." Mipha looked up in hope at Link's face.

Link kept his head up as he looked at the rain. _A good sign, huh?_ Link's mind raced as he recounted everything. He had been trapped with his adversary. Everyone else had been trapped with him and forced to watch. If Link had died or turned to Ganon, there would have been a massacre. But he managed to defend himself in the fight to the death. His heart lifted slightly as he realized that the execution hadn't ended in any death. Link looked slowly down at Mipha as his warped perception began to mend itself.

Mipha smiled brightly as she saw the twinkle in Link's eyes slowly fade back. The natural charisma and confidence flowed slowly back into his body language. The spatter on his hands washed away immediately into the pooled water beneath them.

Link let his mind go back into the blind fog of exhaustion. He was content knowing that his memory was no longer a painful one. Therefore, not thinking about anything was easy now. He smiled bluntly as he looked back out over Zora's Domain.

Mipha followed his gaze. She smiled at the bliss he now felt. She wrapped one arm around him and stood close by his side as they looked over the kingdom.

Link grinned at the new perspective he had. He felt happier by the moment knowing that he hadn't done anything wrong. He embraced Mipha's touch and put his arm around her. Link's mind was completely blank as it began to roam. Mipha jumped as she heard Link speak.

"I love you, Mipha" When he spoke he didn't even realize what he was saying. His words were pure emotion and feeling—they were instinctive. For the first time in years, Link was able to say that he loved someone.

Mipha's eyes lit up like a candle as she heard Link. She wondered if she had imagined him saying those three words she'd been hoping for. Maybe it was just her fantasy-filled mind playing tricks on her. No, this must be real she thought. Link had said that he loved her. The view in-front of them seemed suddenly irrelevant as Mipha's heart threatened to burst with joy. Mipha felt like she was glowing as she leaned into Link.

"I love you too."


	19. Predatory Stalking

Link lay in his bed. He lied awake beside the moving mass of warmth beside him, unable to fall asleep despite the newfound comfort. His brows furrowed in reminiscence as he thought of comfort. He smiled softly at the thought of Mipha and their life together. It was unbreakable—stronger than diamonds. He began to feel a deep rooted jealousy as his sub conscious placed someone else in her arms. Link frowned in anger at the intrusive thought and pushed it away immediately.

He found his thoughts wondering back to the citizens of Zora's Domain. He wondered what they were thinking right now, how they all actually viewed the fight. He knew how Mipha must see it, she was always so positive to Link. But it was still nagging at him about what the effects on the minds of the civilians would be. Would they hate him? Would they praise him? Link frowned more heavily as he realized that he had no idea. At least he'd be able to check tomorrow from the high vantage point where he slept.

Link rubbed his eyebrows as his head continued to ache. It appears he still hasn't fully recovered from his duel despite the healing abilities. He froze suddenly as pain flashed and sighed heavily. He let his hand fall back into the soft leather cloth beside him as he remembered about his lost eye.

Dark Link threw the covers off himself in anger. He swung his legs over the side and slammed his feet onto the ground. His heels clicked softly as they made contact with the smooth rock below him. Out of anger, he grabbed a Hylian bible off the nightstand and threw it with considerable force.

The book made a _whumping_ sound as it spun end over end towards the fire pit that Dark Link was sleeping beside. The creatures of Ganon thought Link was insane to keep a fireplace inside his command tent. It was a leather canopy staked into the ground with metal pipes. It was three times larger than any of the other smaller tents that housed the demented creatures. All they had were small cots. In fact many of them slept on the ground.

But Dark Link had a large table in his tent with multiple chairs along the edges. A large map of Hyrule was spread over it. Multiple parts of the map had little flags and red circles. He'd made countless notes on the yellowed paper, enough to make it invaluable to him.

Dark Link also had a small bed. It had a rickety wooden frame and leather blankets. Of course, there was the fireplace that he given him soft comfort just moments ago—one that he now gazed into deeply.

The book burned slowly at first. The flames licked at the edges, only curling the corners. But they shrunk fairly quickly and revealed more of the books pages which acted as kindling. Within a minute the entire thing was ablaze, burned beyond repair or recognition.

Almost everyone in Hyrule would never even think of burning a bible. It was the story of Hylia and the extent of her power. It was a sacred text. It was the moral compass for all races that coexisted. But to Dark Link, to Ganon, it was completely irrelevant. He saw it as a misguided interpretation of power. Ganon has ultimate power over Hylia, or so Dark Link believed. But belief was all a person needed to be motivated—and Dark Link was as motivated as a person could ever be.

Dark Link stood up quickly in disgust. The comfort he had felt from the fire faded away much like the book's ashes. He strode across the room and to the map on the large rectangular table. He slammed both his fists down onto the table. He leaned backward slightly as he glared angrily at the map. He wasn't even reading it since he'd already memorized it. Somehow he felt that by looking at it he could come up with a new plan.

He was still bitter about losing his eye—of course he was. There wasn't any way in hell that he wouldn't want revenge. He grit his teeth and stared blankly at nothing. The edges of the well-worn map quivered in the wind as it saw Dark Link's barely suppressed rage. Dark Link took his thoughts off his eye by remembering successfully shooting Link with a corrupted arrow. He smirked as he remembered the echoing thud as it slammed into his shoulder. He wondered what the long term effects of the arrow would do. No one had ever before lived through the short term consequences.

Dark Link forced all thought away and blankly looked at the map again. He rubbed his eyebrows as he saw all the markers that indicated Guardians. He was tired of fighting them. It was much easier when they were all on his side and shooting at his enemies. He grinned at the thought of having a guardian of his own to unleash into Zora's Domain. The amount of devastation it would cause could allow Dark Link to fulfill his assassination mission.

He froze as he looked at the map. An idea began to form in the back of his head. He stood up straight and rubbed his chin. It bristled as his fingers brushed over small coarse hairs. His eyes settled on Hyrule Castle and the idea finished itself. He grinned maniacally as he couldn't take his eyes off of the map. His eye glowed brighter for a second and he put his hands on his hips.

"Yes, that'll work perfectly." Dark Link muttered to himself. He stepped away from the map and strode towards the fire. All thought of pain and revenge were gone. Dark Link had to act out of pure strategy if he were to achieve anything. Going in blind swinging would only result in his own death. He kicked dirt into the fire and grabbed a spoke. He rubbed the dirt in and cast around the ashes of the recently burned bible. He stood up and didn't even replace the spoke as he threw it away. He was smiling uncontrollably in excitement as he stood tall confidently.

Slowly, he began to sink downwards. A pool of Ganon's corruption was at his feet as he sunk vertically into it. He kept one hand on his sword hilt as he moved. The shining white scar shone as he got closer and closer to the corruption. But the pain wasn't enough to dampen Dark Link's new optimism. His grin grew wider and his shoulders touched the corruption.

"This'll be fun." Dark Link spoke under his breath. At that notion, he disappeared into the ground—ready to jump right into his improvised plan.

* * *

Murphy hated his life—what was left of it anyways. He shuffled his feet and heard the clanking of his armour as he did so. He stopped the instant he heard it and sighed slightly.

He was at a guard post in the Castle. Murphy had thought it to be a cruel idea for someone to stand in a boiling suit of armour in a hot castle all night. But alas, he did not have a choice in the matter. Gilan had come up with this position and used it mainly as punishment to any miscreants. Almost no one was assigned here, except for Murphy.

Since the day he had assaulted Mipha, his life had been forfeit. But instead of being executed for his crimes, he had been essentially imprisoned. The optimistic view of this is that he achieved his life goal of becoming a guard inside Hyrule Castle. The downside is that he is immediately sent to the gallows if he steps out of line intentionally. He would never be given a weapon, and would be arrested immediately if found outside his post.

Murphy's job was to essentially shout at the top of his lungs if he saw any unwanted visitors in the halls. He wouldn't be able to fight without any weapons. Even though there were many ceremonial daggers and swords in this hallway, he'd be arrested for touching them for any reason. Even if he has to step out of line to fend off an invader, he would still have stepped out of line.

Murphy frowned at his eternal discomfort. Eight hours a day was how long he had to stand as still as possible. Luckily, there were small metal posts that extruded from the floor below him. He leaned his rump on one ever so slightly while both his hands rested on two others. There several more that held him up in the case that he became too tired to hold himself upright. It also helped so that he didn't move as much involuntarily. In the darkness the poles couldn't be seen. The fact that the armour covered them also helped to conceal to small stands. Not only did they serve to keep Murphy upright even if he was to fall asleep, they gave him reference points on his position. His hands were to rest on the stands so that they matched the empty armour directly in front of him.

The hallway itself was made out of cobbled stone. It had a thin red carpet in the centre of the floor that ran endlessly down each end. Even if Murphy were able to turn his head, he doubted he'd see the end of either direction—just darkness. There were several paintings on the walls. There were only two armour sets inside this hall. They both stood directly opposite of each other and were purposefully in the exact same position. Some small stands stood with ancient daggers and relics of tradition. No one was permitted in this area during the night except for specific guards or members of royalty. Anyone else would be arrested on sight.

Murphy was frustrated as he felt the urge to shift his body again. He blinked sweat off his brow again as the perspiration congregated in his eyelashes. His palms were constantly soaked and his silk underclothing was always clinging uncomfortably to his body. It felt like he was being roasted alive in here. Of course, he was able to move slightly once in a while. But moving too much or too often would easily alert any possible intruders. Although no guard would catch him stretching or abandoning his posts for a couple seconds, he still wouldn't risk it.

The nearest guards were only able to hear Murphy. They didn't actually have any sight-lines on him and would only be alerted by his shouting. No one was permitted to speak to prisoners unless advised to, or ordered to, by a superior.

Although he had this freedom of mobility, Murphy did not risk it. He had finally achieved his dream of being a royal guard. He stood in a post at Hyrule Castle. Sure, he was under strict rules and orders. But he was a guard. If he kept up good behaviour and redeemed himself, he might actually be able to avoid his sentence. He sighed at the painful memory of his meeting with Link. Being able to feel the soft, smooth texture of Mipha's chest was not in any way worth the sentence of treason. If he had known any better he wouldn't have gone near her. He grit his teeth and quickly reformed his thoughts from the illegal ones he currently had. _I shouldn't be doing that to any woman._

He grinned slightly at his good behaviour. Murphy was really starting to turn his life around. Truly, nothing could get any worse than his current predicament. Murphy froze suddenly as something he hadn't expected to hear popped into his senses. _Footsteps._

No one was supposed to be in here. The hourly checkup on him wasn't for another twenty minutes. Even a guard could be arrested, as he knew fully well. Murphy smiled, knowing that this is exactly why he was here. Only three people in the entire kingdom knew he was here. Even if one of them were to speak, all the information was compartmentalized. One individual, Gilan, knew that he was in the ceremonial museum hallway. Zelda knew that he was in the right suit of armour when facing north. Rhoame knew of the guards positioned to hear him and his reinforcements. Maybe Link would know, but he only knew of the concept. There wasn't any way Murphy would be caught here, and his first trespasser was finally upon him.

Murphy had to remind himself not to hold his breath. If he did, eventually he would need to let it out and then breathe heavily for a couple moments. Doing so would cause the armour to shift around and alert the invader to his position. He didn't move as he shifted his black-painted eyes towards the direction of the sound.

The soft leather boots echoed through the hallways. Even leather could be heard through this ungodly silence that was constantly in the room. It was unsettling and got under Murphy's skin at every chance it could. The hot, dank air swarmed through the hall with the light breeze. Murphy's sweat didn't help this problem.

Murphy watched intently, waiting for a form to pass by one of the candles on the wall. He'd be able to see their shadow, and therefore attempt to determine who it was. If he didn't recognize them, then he would still know their sex, build, form-if they were being stealthy or not-and whether they were armed. It took a couple more seconds, but Murphy was finally able to see who was coming down the hall at this unexpected time. To his disappointment, he recognized the shadow as Link.

Murphy slumped slightly in disappointment, knowing that Link had the privilege of travelling anywhere in the castle without the need of permission. He had full right to be in this ceremonial hallway at this time of night. Murphy frowned as he noticed that the shadow was crouched. Link was trying to stalk through silently. This was odd, if he had full right to be here, why would he be trying to hide? Murphy shoved the thought away and reasoned it that he was just seeing it wrong.

What Murphy failed to realize, is the criminal he was supposed to be looking for was coming directly towards him. All the guards had been briefed lightly on Dark Link and what he looked like and what he could do. It didn't cross Murphy's conscious mind in the slightest about the potential of Dark Link being inside the heart of the castle. In fact he thought it to be impossible and assumed this must be the real Link. Even though he had no reason to be here, and should be at Zora's Domain instead of Hyrule Castle. But all reason left Murphy as a mix of anger and regret crossed his mind.

He wanted to apologize for his behaviour and what he had done to Mipha. But he was also bitter about the way that Link had handled it. A stern talking to and punishment was needed, but not the beating he had received—that's what Murphy had convinced himself at least.

When Murphy had slumped with his disappointment, he had made an involuntary movement. The armour he wore bristled and rustled which sent metallic sounds cascading through the hall. In the dead silence it cut into his ears, along with Dark Link's. Murphy watched as the figure jumped in surprise. He saw the full form of Link, not just his shadow anymore. He was still enshrouded in shadow though. Murphy shrugged and assumed he wasn't in front of a candle. But he did see a bright white line going across Link's face and over his right eye.

Again, Murphy's mind convinced him that it was Link. He failed to realize the reasoning of the white line. To him, it looked like a thin flame from a candle that Link must be holding. But in reality, it was a large scar that had mostly healed already. Although, the white light helped to dim the shine of red from his other eye, making it even harder to identify him from Link while in shadows.

Murphy shrugged his shoulders and reasoned that there was no harm in revealing himself now. Link already knew he was there and he wanted to have a word.

Murphy spoke clearly in the silence, "didn't expect to see you here, Link."

Dark Link said nothing as the voice greeted him. He actually didn't realize there was someone in a suit of armour until the man had spoken. He raised his eyebrows in surprise as he pinpointed the source of the sound. Someone was hiding in a suit of armour. _Interesting. Idiotic, but interesting._

Murphy made another error. It was, quite literally, a lethal error. He took his eyes off Link as a stunned silence grew in the room. Murphy rolled his eyes but stayed in position. He refused to believe that Link hadn't noticed him here, he already knew about this spot anyways. But the moment he rolled his eyes, Dark Link grabbed a ceremonial dagger off the wall. The blade was silver steel that glinted in the candle light. The hard wooden handle was covered in black leather and had a brass pommel.

When Murphy looked back to Dark Link, he was too late. The blade was already hidden behind the short Hylian's forearm. Dark Link walked casually towards the suits of armour. He saw the slight shifting of the man's breathing and commended the creativity of the trap. Luckily, the lack of sufficient briefing to the guards and the dark hallway had made the guard show himself. Of course, Murphy did know who Dark Link was, but he was only told once about him. He wasn't specifically watching for him, but rather was watching for someone more along the lines of Yiga.

Either way, Dark Link closed the distance between him and the guard as the silence began to grow.

"Link, I'd like to apologize for my behaviour back then. I'm gonna turn my life around I promise you that." Murphy spoke as Link got closer. His stomach began to turn as alarm bells rang in his head. Something was wrong here but Murphy couldn't tell exactly what it was. Maybe it was the way Link had stopped sneaking the moment Murphy had spoken. Or maybe it was how quickly he walked to close the distance between them. Murphy gulped down his sudden fear as he saw a red glint in one of Link's eyes.

Dark Link was about five feet from the occupied armour set as Murphy realized his grave number of errors. He noticed that if Link were holding a candle, the light would have revealed his features instead of hiding them in shadow. He now saw the white light must be on his body. He also saw the red eye and grey hair—the signature of Dark Link. A second too late, he knew he was looking at an invader and not the man who had attempted to correct his wrongs.

They both knew at the same time that the bluff was up. Dark Link hadn't been able to respond in fear of his deep voice echoing un-proportionally to the other Link. All he could do was get as close as possible, as fast as possible. He knew that the moment he was caught, the man would shout an alarm word that would alert all other nearby guards.

Time seemed to freeze as the predator's eyes met with the prey. They both knew what was coming and had very different preferable outcomes. Murphy took in a breath in preparation for his shout. Dread and fear turned his mouth dry as he knew that this man was indeed an intruder and not the Champion he knew. However, Murphy didn't plan on a four inch blade flitting towards him.

Dark Link moved quicker than a cheetah towards the guard. He dashed beside him and noticed the metal rods that stabilized the armour. Dark Link grinned at the ingenuity as he raised his right hand above the man's head. He held the blade vertically as he brought it down with all his force. The blade inserted itself completely into the back of Murphy's neck. It severed his spinal cord immediately and sliced into his trachea—stopping the scream before it started.

However due to Link's surgical precision, Murphy did not die. Not yet at least. The sound of metal slicing through metal lasted only a second as Murphy slumped ever so slightly in his supports. He didn't even realize the blade was in his neck as he never even felt it. In fact, he didn't feel anything from the neck down. What he did notice, is that he couldn't breathe. He had taken in a breath to shout as loud as he could, but suddenly all his muscles went slack. He couldn't exhale and drive the air through his vocal cords. He couldn't move. He couldn't scream.

Dark Link stepped back and admired his handiwork for a second. Normally, a person would be gurgling and trying to breathe as hard as they could when they had a damaged trachea. However, this wasn't possible when someone had complete loss of motor function. He took a deep breath and looked at the terror-stricken eyes through the slit of the armour. Dark Link spoke sadistically to the man.

"Did you know that the average Hylian can stay conscious for about a minute without breathing?" Dark Link grinned as he stared at the paralyzed figure. "Oh right, I forgot you can't talk. Well, I bet you didn't know that the average person can actually survive for about five or six minutes without a beating heart. Your time is counting down as we speak. If you're lucky, you'll actually drown which will make you pass out even faster. It doesn't take long for the lungs to fill with blood you know. Or, maybe it will take a while as you don't have any blood pressure…" Dark Link thought for a moment about the biology of what he had done. He shrugged it off and continued while he still could.

Murphy watched in helpless horror as the dark Hylian strode towards him. "How does it feel, knowing that you've already hidden the body for me? How long will it even be until they realize you're dead? Who knows? Either way, it's a horrible yet painless way to die—just sitting there in mute terror. Wanting to scream but feeling nothing. Trust me; I know exactly how you feel." Dark Link ran a hand over the large scar across his chest as he thought back to it.

He shook his head clear as he saw the guard's eyelids begin to droop. Murphy would pass out in a matter of seconds, never to wake again. Link grinned with his dark sense of humour. He flicked his hand towards the knife embedded in Murphy's neck. "Keep the knife. A departing gift, if you will."

Dark Link's grin didn't fade as the figures eyes fluttered shut. The dying man didn't move as he passed out since his muscles were already completely slack. The predator looked behind him at the other suit of armour. He compared both the stances and reasoned them to be close enough. He looked back at the modified suit and reasoned that Murphy shouldn't fall over any time soon.

Dark Link grinned as he admired his own ingenuity. Sometimes he felt that he just really outdoes himself. The way he handled the situation made the core of his soul burn ever so slightly darker.

The grin on his face was ever-growing as he continued stalking down the hall—leaving the corpse in his wake.

* * *

Dark Link had almost gotten lost more times than he could count. He stood at a three way intersection as he scratched his head. He had come from the ceremonial hall. He knew that one of these halls led to Zelda's bedroom and private study while the other hallway led to the kitchen. But he could not remember for the life of him which way was which.

After long consideration, and deliberate teleportation to avoid patrols, Dark Link turned down the left hallway. He figured the one to the right must be the kitchen as that's where most of the patrols came and went from. It wasn't a hidden fact that many guards would stop by the kitchen and grab a snack once in a while. Either way, Dark Link had gotten lucky in which way he had turned.

He moved through the castle mostly by short range teleportation. He would slowly sink into the ground and then reappear farther down his current hall. It helped to minimize his exposure and the sound he made. It also helped to avoid patrols. If he noticed a group of guards heading towards him from the front, he would simply teleport behind them. They had no reason to turn back, and even if they did Dark Link could just teleport again. It was like a second nature with the amount of used the power. But it too has consequences.

Dark Link was breathing heavily as he leaned on the wall beside Zelda's door. The hard wall was uncomfortable to lean on as he tried to regain his breath. It was a long hallway he stood in. He looked back and realized that the end of the hall was just darkness. He couldn't even see the wall at the end. He let out a sigh as he calmed his heart rate. It immediately spiked again as he turned around to see a large set of armour standing beside the door.

Dark Link jumped like a cat at the armour. He gripped his sword and was about to pull it out. He quickly forced himself to stop and think about what he was doing. He was staring at a blank piece of armour—an empty armour set. Dark Link stood up in annoyance at himself. He was almost as paranoid as the glowing Link. Dark Link chuckled to himself and replaced his sword. He was about to teleport inside of the room when he began to second guess himself again.

He stepped forward towards the armour and eyed it suspiciously. Dark Link held up his left hand and rasped a knuckle onto the head of the helmet. It clanged loudly and would have deafened anyone inside of it. But there was no reaction from inside—no one to deafen. Dark Link frowned at his own stupidity as he thought about how he looked. He chuckled to himself again as he sank slowly into the ground. Maybe he was being a little too careful. _Where's the fun in not being in danger?_

Dark Link rose from the ground into Zelda's room. It was a quiet area. There were tons of bookshelves, all filled to the brim with scientific studies. There were multiple large windows in the room and another doorway that led to an external tower. It was undoubtedly Zelda's private study. One of the windows near the desk was open and a light breeze wafted in once in a while. A large desk lie in one corner with papers strewn about and wild notes scrambled everywhere. That would be the secret to his transfer plan. He ignored all other details in the room and stepped silently towards the desk. However, another piece of the room caught his attention as he heard a soft snoring.

There was a large canopy bed in the centre of one wall. It was beside the desk he was stalking to. The pillars on the corners of the bed were made of a dark oak. They held up white curtains that surrounded the top and sides of the bed. The translucent blinds contorted the shape of the sleeping figure in the bed. Dark Link immediately recognized the vulnerable shape of Princess Zelda herself.

 _I could do it. Right now. I could fulfill one of the largest roles of my mission here._ Dark Link thought to himself as he stared at the slim figure. He noted that she wore a thin dress—nothing that would be able to block a blade. Dark Link looked around, ensuring there were no guards. He looked back and he felt a reoccurring urge spurring him towards her. It was the urge to kill—a bloodthirsty motive that dictated anything that happened in his life.

It was when Dark Link found himself beside her bed, already drawing the blade, that he forced himself to stop. Sure, the political instability and region wide mourning would serve his purpose of disruption perfectly. Killing her now would be perfect—if he didn't have to kill anyone else afterwards.

If he were to end her life now, there would be no way to get to the other Champions. The fear of a real killer being on the loose would tighten all security. Guards would surround castles; everyone would be searched upon entry to any private area. Eyes would be watching every corner. No one would be left alone at any given time. Every target he pursued would be protected even further if he were to kill the largest authority first. He had to start small.

Revali was a good target to go for first. _Good thing he is dead already._ Unluckily for Dark Link, he had no idea that Revali had lived. When he had targeted the Rito, he had been convinced that the dead one was Revali. There were four of them and the one giving an order at the time was the Rito they shot first. It was reasonable to assume that the authority in the group would be the Rito Champion. There was no way for Dark Link to remember Revali's exact looks or for any of Ganon's creatures to tell one Rito apart from another. But to Dark Link's defence, the Rito had looked extremely similar to Revali. Only a side by side comparison would show the subtle nuances between them.

So for as far as he knew, security should already be a little tighter in places once word got out. Unluckily for him, word would still get out but he hadn't killed a Champion. Dark Link had only ended the life of a loyal bodyguard.

Dark Link forced his hand away from the hilt of his blade as he continued to stare at Zelda. She twisted in her sleep, shivering in a sudden cold. She pulled the sheets up closer to her and basked in the warmth subconsciously. Dark Link sighed to himself. He spoke under his breath with contempt, "Not yet, but one day. If only you could comprehend what is actually going on here."

The desk had too many notes on it to count. Paperwork on top of paperwork stacked upon mountains of even more paperwork. It was a wonder Zelda managed to keep track of where everything was. Not even Dark Link was this disorganized as he struggled to unstack the piles as carefully as he could.

His plan was to transfer a Guardian from Hyrule Castle to Zora's Domain. There was a surplus of the machines now since Ganon was exiled. They were being sent further and further as creatures of Ganon and Yiga members were hunted down. It wouldn't be unknown for one to be stationed near one of the ridges for Zora's Domain. But for there to be a proper transfer, there must be legal paperwork. For that, the paperwork had to come from Zelda herself. But there was no way that Dark Link could influence her to send it by herself. He had to create the paperwork for the transfer and then she would do the rest. Trying other ways like blackmail or sending a threat to a servant and make them send a message was too risky. It would also take much longer than Dark Link would prefer. If Zelda thought there was a legitimate reason for sending the guardian, then she would send it without second thought. A filled out form for transfer would be reason enough. But if Dark Link were caught at any point or seen in her room, then they would suspect tampered documents.

The body he left in the hall shouldn't alert them to falsified documentation. If anything they'll just set up more patrols. He jumped out of his thoughts when he found a blank transfer sheet. _About bloody time._

His quill scratched softly as he filled out a fake name and reason for transfer. Increased Lizal activity should be a good enough reason Dark Link told himself. The rest of the information he had to fill out was complete conjecture but he still had to. It took almost ten minutes of scribbling before he stood up to check it over.

He had to write as slowly as possible to avoid making loud scratches. If he woke Zelda, this entire scheme would be for nothing. Since he couldn't kill her yet for the risk of higher security for his other targets, his job was made much more difficult. It took much longer than he would have liked, but as he looked it over everything seemed to be in order. The transfer papers were complete. All he had to do was leave and his goal was complete. Zora's Domain would have its own Guardian in a matter of days.

He'd done all the deception he needed to as he laid the paper onto the to-do stack. At least he assumed that was what the stack was. It might be the junk stack. Dark Link second guessed himself for the second time that day and picked the paper back up. He placed it down on the centre of the desk, directly in view when someone sits down. There's no way she'd miss this document. There's also no way she would think of deception. She would just assume it had come with the mail she got every morning. Dark Link grinned as his plan chugged along the tracks smoothly. This was going better than I'd thought it would.

He stepped away from the desk as another cold breeze blew in. Curtains fluttered slightly as the wind disturbed them. Dark Link shivered for a second and then froze when Zelda began to stir. She tossed and turned at the sudden bitter cold. Dark Link knew she was about to wake up to close the window behind him. He quickly sunk downwards into his signature puddle of corruption before she could get up. He began to grin again as he reminisced his successful mission. The thrill of a flawlessly completed task was always wanted. Although his bloodthirst rose above his need for success, it definitely came second.

Dark Link disappeared completely and without a trace as Zelda rose from her bed. She held her arms across her chest in an attempt to retain body heat as she shuffled towards the window. She moved directly over where Dark Link had gone as her feet dragged along the floor. The corruption was long gone as she reached the window and slammed it shut in annoyance. She muttered to herself while still half asleep, "why does it always get so cold in here?"

And with that she sank into her bed again. It took less than a couple seconds before the soft snoring began to filter back into the air. Little did she know, a menial piece of paper now lay on her desk that could lead to devastation to the Zora people.


	20. Old Rivalries Sparked By New Problems

It was a beautiful, sunny, day in Zora's Domain. Two days had passed since the new Guardian had arrived. Everyone, including Link, thought it was completely normal for the bulky machinery to arrive. Although, it didn't do all that much; it just wandered around the crest of the steep cliffs that led into Zora's Domain. Once in a while, a flash of blue and white light could be seen from where it was shooting at a creature of Ganon. It wasn't uncommon for a stray Bokoblin or Lizalfols to roam around looking for a lonely traveller. But to Link, the Guardian never tended to find many of the creatures. _It's almost as if they knew it was th-_

Link let the thought drift out of his head. It fluttered away as his gaze flitted to Mipha. She had bobbed across his vision as he had been staring at the Guardian. It still stood up on the cliffs that overlooked the Domain, but it got boring after a while to look at. But Mipha was a different story—to Link at least.

They were out on the main platform of Zora's Domain. Link sat in the inn while waiting for Lura. She was supposed to be here soon, but due to her absence the restaurant was completely deserted. The room itself had a bowl shaped roof that continued all the way to the floor. It was hard to tell exactly where the wall became ceiling or vice a versa. Either way, it was riddled with silver scales that shined in the sunlight that radiated throughout the room. It reflected off the floors and walls and bounced into every possible corner. Link sat in a metal chair at a simple metal table. It wasn't anything special; the chair and table were both made of the luminous metal that was in such abundance in Zora's Domain. It was a miracle if anyone could find something that wasn't made out of the gleaming metal around here.

The Inn was made of two rooms. The first was where Link sat—the reception/restaurant. It had a large standing desk where Lura could take orders and book beds for guests. The second room was connected to the first and had very similar architecture—except this room was filled with beds instead of a couple tables. This was where the guests for the night would sleep. Although most people that stayed here were visitors or tourists that were always trademarked by the clothing they wore and the look of inquisitive amazement on their faces. The beds themselves were extremely similar to the one that Link and Mipha shared. But it was slightly annoying that this room had more silver decorations strung around the room. It even had a couple paintings strewn around while the reception had little to none.

But the several silver decorations and lack of paintings was not what Link was admiring. He stared out from the deserted enclave towards the dancing figure that strode along besides the railing on the edge of the platform. Although she walked as she normally would, Link always saw her graceful movement as a type of dance. He couldn't describe whether it was the smooth bobbing of her head, the swift flicking of her hips or the way she gently cradled her trident against the front of her shoulder. No matter what it was that Link found the most beautiful about her figure, he was still attracted almost solely to her soft heart.

A proud warrior with a malleable heart can be a handicap in the battlefield as their weakness is easily known and easily exploited. But when united with their lover, that same warrior becomes an unstoppable machine that can overcome any insurmountable odds. Link took the pride personally in knowing that he was what drove Mipha to be better than who she is now. His smile grew brighter as he realized that her situation matched his almost to the exact detail.

Link's daydreaming continued as he looked at the ravishing stride of Lady Mipha. Sometimes he longed to be right beside her with his arms wrapped around her body. Many times he wished it was the other way around. It was all too often when all he wanted to do was be with her for every waking second, to learn every detail about her while using his worst jokes to make her laugh. It was always the highlight of his day to see her giggle and cover her mouth as she tried to stem the flow of laughter. But she never could; she'd end up laughing aloud near Zora's who had never heard her laugh before.

Something that Link didn't know about Mipha was something that every single Zora citizen knew. Before Mipha had gotten intimate feelings for Link, she was a very distant person. She was constantly disconnected from the world around her. She would spend hours training with her trident in the most secluded areas possible. Mipha often fell into a rhythm from day to day; one that was menial and secluded from almost anyone else. She had barely even known Lura's name before the carefree Hylian had stumbled into her path. She was happy with the lifestyle she chose. It physically hurt her to be around too many people at one time. Paralyzingly dread of being brought into surprise parties or unpredictable events kept her from venturing outside of her comfort zone.

Mipha was someone that would often have her mental state questioned. Her father would often worry about whether there was too much pressure on his daughter. The fact of her being the only Zora ever with healing powers, or the bouts of training she had to endure day after day could be too overwhelming for her—and it was. The size of her plate wasn't nearly big enough for the amount on it. It threatened to crush her underneath it. The heavier it got, the less she tried to hold it up. Mipha had been losing faith and confidence in herself and at times even hated how incompetent she constantly felt. As she lost the confidence in her own ability, she began to lose incentive for her training and anything that used to matter to her. She grew more distant from others and even more distant from herself in ways that she couldn't even explain.

But when she began to have romantic feelings for Link, she realized the potential in life. She'd never thought about having a relationship yet alone with Link. But the more and more she thought about it, the more and more she wanted it. Eventually it got to the point where she didn't care about any of her failures and unavoidable mishaps that would have normally crushed her soul beyond repair. Mipha had the constant joy in the anticipation of the next meeting with Link. She had changed from being a questionably depressed princess to a beloved and fierce warrior and symbol of Zora pride in the matter of one or two years. All of it was indirectly from Link's selfless actions and carefree attitude. It was in Mipha's interest to be more like him, to be more careless about inconsequential events in her life. And when she didn't have the strength to overcome her own insecurities, she had Link beside her to protect her. Maybe that was why she enjoyed being able to help him whenever possible. He was constantly there for her so why shouldn't she be there for him?

Mipha always over-emphasized her events with, and feelings for, Link. Her past was something she thought of constantly; not because of how she had succumbed to her beginning failures, but because of how she had grown alongside her beloved. In fact, she had no idea that Link was staring at her alluring figure as she watched the roaring waterfalls. Instead, she was remembering all the moments she had spent with Link. She stopped and rested against the railing as she began to wonder what will come next between them.

Link was still waiting for Lura as he heard footsteps near the doorway. He took his eyes guiltily off of Mipha as his cheeks began to grow red hot. He turned to look at the figure that was still halfway around the corner. The Zora has a bright smile as she walked into the room. However, it died down slightly as she met eyes with Link. They both froze as they recognized each other.

"Kodah?"

"Linny."

"I didn't realize Lura had sent you down instead." Link asked in dumbstruck astonishment. It had been a couple weeks since he had spoken to Kodah alone. Although, neither of them were happy about this turn of events. Lura was supposed to come down and meet with Link. He had been intending to ask about Sidon and see if he could make plans with him and Mipha. Obviously Sidon would have no interest in planning a dinner or something, but Lura did. Also, if anyone would be able to find Sidon in the middle of the day, it would be his caretaker. But obviously Lura had gotten the message wrong and sent Kodah down instead.

Lura was known as one of the best cooks in Zora's Domain. Tourists would flock towards the inn around noon and the small number of tables would never be able to house all of them. But that didn't mean that people left unhappy, many would buy the food and eat elsewhere with family or friends. In fact, Lura was so successful, that she was teaching the trade to her protégée, Kodah.

That's why Kodah was here now; she had been told that a special customer wanted a meal. It wasn't unusual for Kodah to whip something up for a VIP or family friend while the restaurant was closed, but she hadn't expected Link to be here.

They both stared at each other with mixed feelings. Kodah was driven by jealousy as she looked at her crush. She glanced spitefully over at Mipha as she rested against the railing. She grit her teeth as she saw the princess submerged in her own vivid daydreams. She was living the life that Kodah had only been able to dream of—a life with a perfect boyfriend and husband-to-be. It was a life with someone who cared about her no matter who she was or how she acted. Kodah wanted to be with Link more than Mipha, or at least that's what she had convinced herself.

That's why she was so angered when Link motioned to leave. He stood up and tucked in his chair politely. It made a small metallic screech as it grated along the smooth ground. Link winced, hoping that Mipha wouldn't hear it and look over. He stepped towards the door saying, "Sorry, I was expecting Lura. I'll meet with her lat- hey!"

Kodah had jumped in front of Link as he tried to get out through the arched doorway. She gave him a light shove back into the room as soon as she got her feet steadily on the ground.

Link stumbled back slightly but found his footing quickly. He stood up straight beside the table and asked in a serious tone, "Kodah, what are you doing?"

"You chose her over me." She said with a sliver of disappointment. Link's shoulders slumped as Kodah said that. He had always been worried about this fated conversation with the female Zora before him. He had tried to avoid it at every turn as he knew how bitter she was about it. But now she had the chance to talk with him privately, and she wasn't going to give it up that easily.

"You do look much better in the Zora armour you know." Kodah started talking seductively as she strode towards Link. He noticed that she exaggerated the swing in her hips as she did so. He forced his eyes to remain on hers as she stalked towards him.

"Think about what you're doing Kodah," Link glared at her as she kept moving without a word, "back off."

"I haven't done anything to you, Linny. I just want to know why you didn't choose me."

"You know exactly why I didn't choose you." Link said with a hint of anger in his voice. However, he was careful not to raise his voice. He didn't want Mipha to hear him and come over to the inn. If she saw him alone with Kodah like this, who knows what she would think. Maybe she wouldn't think anything was off, but Link's paranoid mind always got the better of him. He hadn't told Mipha about the relationship between him and Kodah recently. A couple weeks ago, when Link was single, Kodah had been trying her hardest at courting Link. But he wasn't interested in her; instead he always had his eyes on Mipha. Of course, Kodah had grown jealous and obsessively possessive of Link. She forced him to make a choice between her and Mipha. Although Link knew his answer right away, he was reluctant to say it as he knew it would break Kodah's heart. But she could always find someone else; everyone always had their eyes on her. But unlike them, Link was romantically interested in Mipha, and Mipha alone. He wouldn't be content with someone else—he'd never feel as comfortable around them. Eventually he had told Kodah. He wouldn't have been able to live a lie and say something else. Instead he was obligated to tell the truth, and that's exactly what he did. Of course, Kodah was distraught but had already known the answer. She had run off crying at Link's words and hid inside of the inn.

Now was the first time they'd spoken since that day. Kodah had wanted to get Link alone for a while now, away from Mipha, but had been unsuccessful until this moment. Now she could finally figure out why she wasn't good enough, and to see if she could sway his mind.

Link stood his ground and looked down at Kodah angrily. He felt a wave of fog pass into his mind as he stared grimly at her. An extremely light mist travelled over his thoughts as he watched the Zora stop in their tracks. It barely affected him, but he knew it was there. It almost felt like the anchor or tiredness that would affect his thoughts, except for the fact that he was wide awake. Link ignored it and he spoke firmly to her as she looked up inquisitively at the sudden authority of the figure. "You really want to know why I chose Mipha?"

Kodah leaned to one side and placed a hand on her hip. She motioned for him to continue with a small horizontal wave of a hand while saying, "Enlighten me." Kodah would come to regret letting Link rant on uncontrollably about his innermost feelings—ones he didn't even know he'd felt until now.

"It's not because she's as beautiful as an angel as you've convinced yourself it is, although that is a bonus. It's because she actually cares about me. She's the one person I get to be selfish with. She's the only person in the world that would put my life above her own other than Zelda or the guards who work for me. All you did was berate her and try to manipulate me against her! I had trusted you and you threw me away like a skipping stone! One of the main reasons I wasn't attracted to you was because of how you treated everyone else around you; always acting so fake around me just because of your romantic desires. You knew where my heart lay and yet you still treated me as prey. But Mipha, she doesn't take advantage of my feelings as you did. She doesn't play with my heart or contest my loyalties. She has love in her eyes whenever she looks at me." Link stopped for a moment as he thought back on his sweet memories with Mipha. All of them were incredibly delightful and he was barely able to control his smiling. But as he zoned back into reality, he saw the suddenly guilty expression on Kodah's face. As soon as he realized how she felt, he began to calm down, knowing he had made his point—knowing that she realized her own faults.

But suddenly, the hazy mist began to swarm through his head again. He didn't feel exhausted physically, but his mental frame of mind began to shift. He tried to remember Mipha again, but couldn't take his eyes off of the shame of the Zora in front of him. The fog dropped kindling onto the minute flame of anger within his soul as he stared with content at his admirer. All the inconsequential negative feelings he had of Kodah began to resurface, along with feelings of hatred that had never, and don't, exist for her. Suddenly, as the fog blurred his mind, all he could feel was a sour resentment for Kodah as she looked at her feet in guilt.

Link spoke with a hiss at her, "But you, all you had was a flash of content in your eyes and all you wanted to do was to treat me like a possession. I'm happier now than I've ever been. After leading a miserable life and only having pride in my rank, I finally have something to look forward to when I wake up. And you dare ask me why?! Why I chose her over you?! If it helps, there was never any chance it would ever have been you!" Kodah looked up in sudden fright as Link took a step towards her. Her jaw dropped the second she laid her eyes on him.

She couldn't describe the look on his face. He seemed paler than usual around the mouth and eyes as he stared at her. But his eyes… they were changed. They were constantly searching, shaking visibly due to some unseen internal struggle. They were constantly out of focus and Kodah wasn't sure if he was looking straight through her or not. But after half a second, it felt like the gaze was piercing straight into her soul. Terror crept along her spine as she was unable to look away from the sudden seething fury from Link. That's when she saw it—the flame that had been kindled inside of him. The dark pupils in his eyes stopped shaking as they settled onto her own gaze. She froze as Link exhaled slowly and tilted his head slightly. That's when she saw the tiniest flash of red come from the epicentre of his pupils. It was only for a second, but it was enough to petrify the rest of Kodah's courage.

She immediately stepped back and raised her hands up defensively. "I'm sorry! I'm so sorry…" Kodah looked up pensively as she backed away quickly. She was relieved to see that Link wasn't moving. She was also glad to see that the sudden anger in him was quickly fleeting. She saw something that surprised her actually; as she glanced at Link while exiting the doorway in a panic, she could have sworn that he had a look of confusion on his face as he watched her. She also noticed that the paleness in his face had disappeared along with the red flash in his eyes. The full set of armour he was wearing was also glowed intensely for a second as she glanced back. But when she saw his mouth opened slightly to reveal a question, it never got out as Kodah turned to walk briskly away. She'd fled the room so quickly that she'd barely seen Mipha as she eavesdropped beside the doorframe.

Link looked at Kodah as she practically ran away from the inn. He was dumbstruck at her sudden fright of him. One second he was talking about Mipha and all the happiness she gave him, and then… a blank followed by her running away from him in terror. He had seen her look back and that had allowed him to see the expression of true terror in her eyes. _A blank? What kind of short term memory do I have?_ Link shook the thought out of his head as he struggled to remember the last minute of what had happened. He looked down to see his armour shining for a split second. But that's how long it lasted, just a second. Then it was gone, back to being as dim as usual.

In fact, the shining of the armour had shown itself at such perfect timing that Mipha had never even seen it. But she had only looked away for a couple seconds as she had watched Kodah walk briskly out of the room. Mipha had an inkling that Kodah was scared, but she assumed she was more angered by Link than afraid of him.

She strode in and towards her Champion. A look of concern fell onto her face as Link looked guiltily at her. He looked back up to Kodah, but she was already out of sight. He had the bad feeling that he'd said something out of line. But he hadn't said anything that she hadn't already known… had he? He'd mentioned how she treated him and was talking about how Mipha and her love for him; but then… nothing. He couldn't recall anything after he saw her guilty conscious being displayed through her facial expressions. The next second she was backing away in terror and his armour was glowing.

Mipha had to walk up to Link and place a hand on his face to pry him free from the grasp of his own mind. Mipha calmed down slightly as Link looked back down to her. She saw the remorse in his eyes and sighed with worry. However, Link was the one who spoke first.

"How much of that did you hear?"

"Your voice travels farther than you'd think. And although I think she deserved most of that, maybe the ending was a little harsh. Whatever you said or did either terrified Kodah or angered her enough to make her storm out."

Link looked down at his feet and rubbed his eyebrows. Although he didn't feel the fog crowding his memories or influencing his emotions anymore, he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. He couldn't figure out what he had said or done that would aggravate Kodah like so. However, all thoughts of paranoia left his mind as he looked into Mipha's eyes. He slowly got back into the drift of the situation as he realized the scope of things.

"Had you known about what had happened between us?" Link asked miserably.

Mipha spoke soothingly to him, "I did. And I know that you chose me over her and now I have the luxury of knowing why. Also, I'm sorry; I never realized how poorly she had treated you."

Link shook his head saying, "It's nothing, that's history. I'm tired of living in the past. We still have dangers around us and yet drama keeps rising up out of nowhere."

Mipha smiled and she reached up towards Link. She put her other hand onto his cheek and looked straight into his eyes. She said "No matter how much drama, we're still with each other. And I like to live in the past sometimes, the positive memories are always enjoyable. For example, I heard everything you said about me also."

Link slumped slightly saying, "oh." He had thought that Mipha would have somehow taken it negatively or was about to make a diatribe about his treatment of Kodah. But as soon as he was about to venture back into the sudden labyrinth that was his memories, Mipha saved him the trip by giving him another positive moment.

By slumping forward, he was just at the perfect height for Mipha to stand on her toes and kiss him. It surprised Link, even though she already had both hands on his face. He didn't shy away from it though. He let all worry fade as he embraced Mipha and her soft lips. Somehow he knew that no matter what happened or what mistakes he makes, Mipha will always be there with him to rectify them. He wasn't alone anymore. He didn't want to be alone ever again.


	21. Rising Tensions

Around the same time that Kodah was confronting Link, Zelda stood beside the throne, speaking with frustration to her father. "How can you say that?! You know that Zora's Domain has to be in more danger than Hyrule Castle!"

Her father rubbed his eyebrows as he wondered why she was so insistent on going to meet up with Link. His eyes drifted the spacious throne room as he planned out his words. The room itself was similar to many of the rooms in Zora's Domain with its circular design; except it was made completely out of stone and engraved with designs of the royal emblem that was their families crest of a Loftwing. The throne itself was a high set stonework chair that emphasized the importance of the individual sitting in it. Of course, Rhoame was the only person ever allowed to sit in it—after all, he is the king. Banners were strewn all around with the symbols of the triforce and the repetitive Loftwing plastered in the centres. In front of the throne, there was the large doorway that led to a four-way intersection. One led to the keep doorway, one to the kitchens and the last hallway diverged towards dormitories for guards and servants.

Other than the looming doorway in front of Rhoame, there were also two small, eight step, staircases to his 10, and 2, o'clock that led to small platforms; these served as an area to house large audiences when he needed them. Zelda currently stood closer to him than most would—in the centre of the large circular space directly in front of the throne. The sunlight that drifted through the windows seemed to cascade off of the floor and illuminate every corner that didn't have a torch stand placed in it. Zelda's golden hair even looked like it was glowing because of the direct sunlight, giving her even more of a divine façade. Rhoame gaze drifted away from her glowing strands of hair and settled on the eyes of his pleading daughter.

"I can say that because you are in danger as much as it is. I will not allow you to travel the roads while Yiga still roam them with Dark Link hiding around every corner. A guard inside the castle was already murdered. You should know that already."

"I already knew that. Everyone knew that! But the guards name was Murphy. _You should have known that_." Zelda attempted to imitate her fathers voice with her last sentence.

Rhoame frowned at the disrespectful tone. But he bit his tongue because he knew that his daughter was right in saying he didn't know anything about the dead guard.

"Either way, I will not let you leave these castle walls."

"What?! Why not?! I've got my personal guard, Gilan. We can take a small troop and go to Zora's Domain. Who knows if Link and Mipha are even okay! They are the biggest targets to Dark Link and you know it."

Rhoame looked down angrily at Zelda as he spoke at a higher volume. "You're right, I do know that. But I also know that you are a target and that Dark Link knows everything our Link does. That includes all the routes you've taken while he served us. This is about your safety and-"

"It's about their safety. If Dark Link wanted to kill me he already would have. He killed Murphy to send a message. He was here and proved it but left both of us unscathed. He wants to kill our friends first and we should be out there helping! My powers can probably hurt him if not stop him completely!" Zelda began to shout at her stubborn father. She couldn't see why he didn't want to help Zora's Domain like she did.

"I don't know what his motive was but I won't say you're wrong. But going out on the road now is suicide, you'd never make it." Rhoame lowered his voice to a more reasonable volume as he spoke. He was about to speak again when Zelda cut him off.

"I've got secret routes that he doesn't even know about. Let me take a small troop, five people including myself and Gilan. It'll be plenty of protection as we won't even be found. But I'm not gonna sit around idly in my castle while they risk their lives! One Guardian isn't enough to protect them against Dark Link."

Rhoame rubbed his eyes as he listened to the persistence of his daughter. He knew she was right and he felt the exact same way. But her safety rose above all others, even Link's. But he knew that if he forbid she leave the castle, she wouldn't listen to him and would act as rebellious as always and leave without an escort. That scenario would surely leave her to die in the wilderness. He agreed that one Guardian wasn't enough and that they should send help. But not this kind of help, they didn't know if Zora's Domain was even in peril or if they were just being paranoid. He groaned and rested his hand beneath his chin and ran him fingers through his beard as he gazed down at the expectant Zelda.

"Fine," he mumbled, "but make sure you take three guards plus Gilan. Any sign of an ambush and you head straight back here you understand? Revali was attacked on the road before and I can't let the same happen to you."

"It won't. Thank you, father. I'll be off as soon as I can." Zelda spoke calmly, but on the inside she jumped for joy. She knew that she'd eventually be able to convince her father; he wouldn't let her venture out alone. Now she was gonna be able to take a small force over to Zora's Domain. Under better circumstances she'd be excited to be with Link and Mipha again but right now she was anxious for their safety. Her powers are a direct contrast to Dark Link's and she would be able to undo any work that he did. With how Ganon's corruption was able to spread she had needed to use her powers 24/7 to purge Hyrule of the desecration. Now she would have a need for them again, knowing that Dark Link hasn't made an attempt on theirs lives for days. Who knows what he has done while they were busy arguing amongst themselves on where to reinforce or who to protect more. But to make much change to their current security measures, they needed to send messages and properly articulate plans over long distance; there weren't many messengers available recently for this to be done.

In fact, safe travel for messengers was a rare commodity recently. A command would be sent out with a scout only for a barely recognizable body being dragged along the ground by a terrified horse to wander into a random village. These attacks were no doubt the work of the Yiga. The arrowheads were trademarked along with the deadly precision with their sickles. Dark Link must be taking advantage of their teleportation abilities to target carriers. Many of the message-bearers were tortured before they gave up their information while others took their secrets to the grave. Zelda and Rhoame had no way of knowing how much Dark Link knew about their patrols or Guardian positions. The only way to reliably send any form of message was through a Rito; but they were far and in between as they could only fly for so long.

But now, Zelda was going to be on the road. She'd bring a message of Hyrule's doings to Dorephan, fill in any gaps that messengers were never able to deliver, and provide any reinforcement to Zora's Domain that she possibly could. She wondered about how Link and Mipha were faring at the moment. She shook her head knowing that she'll find out soon. For now, she just had to get there alive with the help of Gilan and his best trained soldiers.

* * *

"Stop trying to think—you'll give yourself an aneurism." Dark Link berated his Lizalfols commander as the creature studied his map. It was a jumble of flags and pins over the entire region of Hyrule. There were notes everywhere across the yellowed paper—many of which were crossed out. The Lizal immediately took its strained eyes off the mess of pegs and back to its leader. The tent itself was as barren as always with the table, chairs, cot and the ostentatious fireplace. The musky air wafted around both the servants of Ganon as the leather flaps of the tent billowed in the wind. Shivering in the sudden dry wind, the Lizal looked to Dark Link for a command.

Automatically, it's eyes riveted on the dark brown eyepatch over Link's face. Small sparks of white light shone from underneath it as it spanned over his right eye. The strap ran diagonally around his head so that it covered most of the small cracks that had deviated from the main strike. The painful looking scar brought forth a holy feeling as the Lizal continued to bore its eyes into the light. Standing motionless, it barely noticed the contrast of the light to Dark Link's shadow-esque features.

Dazzling sparkles which looked very similar to stars were cast on the billowing walls beside them. The Lizal found himself falling deeper into the magnificent light—almost as if he were being pulled towards it. Usually it hated anything that looked holy, as was a Lizalfols' way. But the fantastical sight was hard to look away from as Dark Link continued to glare angrily.

He hated when anyone stared at his scar. It constantly seared his skin to the point where he couldn't tell whether the sizzling sound was part of his imagination or not. Whenever he was forcibly reminded of his past failures and mistakes, all he felt was wrath. Pure malice erupted in his system as the seemingly placid Lizal gave him a reminder of who had caused him to lose an eye. But it wasn't just his eye that Dark Link had lost.

Ever since then, he's been mocked behind his back by the Yiga. Sure, they still obeyed him and hunted down any messages that threatened to leave any of the kingdoms, but they were beginning to doubt his ability to take care of the swordsman—some even dared to whisper the word cyclops behind his back.

The creatures created by Ganon, the ones that would have been re-summoned by blood moons if they still occurred after Ganon's defeat, still loyally followed Dark Link. It wasn't because they were scared of him, revelled in his victories or even thought of him to be skilled. The only reason they followed him without question is due to their own willpower or, more accurately, a lack thereof.

The creatures of Ganon followed Dark Link because of his intention and alignment to evil. He, like the Yiga, wanted to destroy anyone who opposed darkness. Since he was only around because of Ganon and had enough power within him to go toe to toe with Zelda herself, his minions followed him blindly, believing him to be some sort of offspring to their dark lord. In fact, Dark Link's power over the creatures has been strengthening since day one allowing him to directly affect their minds. Dark Link was experimenting with how to manipulate a mind so that he was able to give more complicated orders or even whole tasks to one or two Lizal's or Bokoblins. The prime subject of this experiment was his commanders that he always tended to kill. When a project fails or has no use anymore, Dark Link would simply scrap it and restart. But as his most recent commander stood in front of him, staring at his glowing scar, his own pride and the treatment he received from the Yiga was brought back into his mind.

No one has ever doubted his ability before. Not even when he burnt down the entire great forest of Hyrule. No one sought to disrespect him when he detonated the bomb that crumbled the Rito Village tower. No one dared to prod at his pride without fear of incurring his wrath. Yet here was, with a lowlife Lizal staring at him with the inkling of a smile on its face.

Dark Link's anger and pent up aggression lashed out at the disrespect. The Master Sword seemed to move on its own as he grabbed it. The Lizal didn't have any time to react as his leader went from sitting to standing in front of it with a sword already in motion. It hadn't even seen the scabbard on Link's back as the tip of the black blade grazed its face.

Minute spatters of blood sprayed onto the tent walls as the Lizal slammed both of its hands into its face. It jerked backwards and then keeled over in surprise and pain. Dark Link stood tall as he wiped off the blade. He grinned maniacally with a glint of pleasure in his good eye as the poor creature went through the same motions that he did.

"Who's the cyclops now?"

His grin lasted another few seconds as the creature began to get a hold of itself, trying to overcome the sudden pain and shock. Link simply scoffed and re-sheathed his sword. "Get up. Be glad I didn't take your entire head off. This won't excuse you from doing your job either."

The Lizal took in a deep breath as it remembered the fate of the last messenger brought to Dark Link. It knew he wasn't bluffing as Dark Link really had cut off the Bokoblins head. Through excruciating pain and pure willpower, the Lizal straightened its back and held its arm behind it.

Dark Link grinned even more as his commander returned to a more attentive state. The glowing, black wound over one of the Lizalfols' eyes didn't cease to pulsate as blood trickled along its jaw. Its one good eye shook as it attempted to cope with the injury while trying not to incite any more penalties.

"Good," Dark Link said with a satanic smile, "now give me your report."

"W-well, the poisoning of the Gerudo water supply has been a success as you said it would." The Lizal swallowed some blood that had trickled into the corner of its mouth as it began to recount the recent results of their sabotages. "Many of their guards have been put out of commission and they are beginning to stretch thin." The creature began listing off what it knew as it tried fruitlessly to ignore the sizzling. Dark Link nodded along as it continued. "The Zora is still in our captivity and awaits your presence. Unfortunately, the Gorons had spotted our spy before they could accomplish anything. Somehow they were tipped off and were looking for him. He's currently sitting in the jail serving a life sentence." Dark Link frowned at this answer.

"Well that was a waste of fifteen thousand rupees." As he spoke, Dark Link tried not to cackle at the suffering creature in front of him. He decided to go further with his torture. "What else?"

"Sir… w-we uh… seem to have lost Zelda." The creature put its head down in shame as it spoke its last report.

Dark Link's shoulders shot upwards when his commander said this. "You what?! Where did she go?!"

"W-we don't know. She left the castle with a small personal escort and disappeared into the wilderness."

"Did you not follow her?!" Dark Link shouted as he grabbed the grip on his sword yet again.

The creature was galvanized by the instinctive motion and said, "We did! But no one came back from the scouting mission. Not even the Yiga had been able to follow or even find them after we lost contact. We… we don't know where she went. All we do know is that she was last seen heading towards Death Mountain." The Lizal let out a huff of breath through grit teeth as pain surged back into its mind.

Dark Link mind was racing too quickly for him to notice the inadvertent squirming of the Lizal anymore. Zelda was on the move; but she had no motive to go towards Death Mountain. She wouldn't even be able to get into the Goron city without some special equipment; but using that kind of gear and trying to stealth around the countryside? It didn't match up but instead just created more anomalies with the projected path—unless that isn't where she's actually going.

 _That must be it! She isn't going to the Gorons—she's heading towards the Zora's! All it would take is slight deviation from her current path towards the east and she'll have a direct route; but she can't avoid roads forever._ Dark Link looked back towards the traumatized Lizal still standing at attention. All thought of torture fleeted from his mind as he mulled over what she was up to. He spoke quickly and concisely to the commander, "you must not let her reach Zora's Domain."

"Zora's Domain?"

"Yes, Zora's Domain! She went towards Death Mountain originally to throw us off her trail. Clever, but not clever enough. I don't trust the Yiga to undertake this mission, so you'll take a squad and personally end her.

"How?" The creature asked in confusion as it wiped away some of the blood on its face—it stopped as it was a futile effort. Dark Link frowned at the redundant question. Even though he was able to take a couple hours to elevate the intelligence and skill of a couple servants of Ganon, they still needed clear orders.

After rubbing his eyebrows frustratingly, Dark Link threw down his hands shouting, "I don't know, shoot her?! Blow up a bridge! Drop a boulder on her caravan! Throw electric chuchu's into the water; I don't care! Just ensure that she does _not_ enter that stronghold!"

The Lizal nodded so quickly it thought its head would slip off its shoulders. Glad to have an excuse to get away from the cursed tent of its leader, the Lizalfols slipped away through the flaps on the far end of the room into the cold wind. It needed to tend to its wound even if the cut itself was an extremely shallow one. But with an order and a mission, it could focus on something worthwhile instead of creating campfires or fetching water.

As the Lizal scurried out of the tent with a hand held up to its injury, Dark Link turned back towards his map. He took a small flag out of where Hyrule Castle was marked and placed it an inch towards Zora's Domain. It would normally take a day of travel by road to get there; but through the rough terrain of wilderness and a need for stealth, it would take more like two days. Dark Link frowned, knowing they have to move up the schedule. He'd been focusing on the other kingdoms that he'd forgotten about the threat that the new royal couple posed to him and his posse.

Dark Link suddenly remembered something that his commander had told him. He stood up straight, looking away from the map in thought. Something clicked inside his skull as he mulled over his plan for Zora's Domain. Without warning, he darted away from the table and slithered towards the slit in a wall that served as a doorway.

Bokoblins and Moblins alike looked over as Dark Link thrust the thin flaps out of his way as he began picking his way through the crowded tents of the mindless creatures. The sun was beginning to set as the heavy rain continued. The pellets of water streaked down diagonally—being pushed by the constant onslaught of wind. Dark Link ignored the weather conditions as he focused on his current goal.

Only his commander, the second most intelligent creature in the camp, knew where he was heading to; Dark Link was making a beeline directly towards where they currently held a Zoran soldier captive.


	22. Abnormal Sleeping Patterns

The night following the incident with Kodah, it was midnight as Link and Mipha lay in bed trying to sleep. He looked around the now-familiar room that they reside in. It still amazed him how the dome-like structure using the silver scales seemed to be everywhere in Zora's Domain. Even though these designs were uninteresting to the locals because they always saw them, they still dazzled him almost every time. He would walk into the room, expecting to see a rectangular shape, and find the semi-sphere walls and ceiling instead. Actually, he liked he design; it was simpler than most but had spectacular, elegant beauty to it nonetheless.

Link's focus re-shifted to Mipha as she moved around in her sleep. He frowned, knowing she always fell asleep before he did. Sure, he liked being able to see the innocence and serenity of her sleep but now he was just jealous. As she moved, he also noticed the faint blue glow from one of her hands that rested on his bare chest. He raised an eyebrow, knowing that she only used her powers when thinking of him. _What was she dreaming of?_ Link peered slightly closer at Mipha as her eyes fluttered underneath her eyelids. He gave up after a couple seconds when he realized there was no way to know.

Link's gaze slowly drifted from her face, to her hand yet again. He knew she was using her powers—he could see the glow. But somehow, he didn't feel it. He didn't feel empowered or bereft of energy, he just felt normal. No adrenaline to spike the power? Maybe he was just used to the feeling and it's became his new normal? Link found it odd as he continued to delve into the topic.

In fact, that was what kept him up for so long. It must be midnight already as the moonlight filtered through the glass balcony door into the humid bedroom. It's been four days since he had last seen Dark Link yet only five hours since he got news of sabotage. Reports have been flying out of every kingdom as sabotage became ever more apparent. Luckily, there haven't been any direct threats to the Champions or their company. Although, there have been several messengers or political escorts that have been slaughtered for the information they carry. Even if they haven't seen the shadow-infused Hylian, he was still destabilizing the core of society.

Link shook the problematic paperwork out of his head and tried to delve back into his memories. He noticed that there have been gaps in it over the same period of time as the sabotages. Although nothing has really happened in Zora's Domain, Link was having trouble remembering specific moments in his life. Kodah was only one of the incidents that he knew about. But recently he's noticed random citizens he'd never met before giving him the stink-eye for no apparent reason. Not only that, but's it's been harder to control his anger at times when he had no reason to be antagonized. Then there's been the every present feeling of wanting to remove his armour; that was something he just couldn't explain. He felt clammed up all the time and he couldn't go an hour without resisting the urge to rip his helmet off and throw it to the ground. But his conscience always surfaced and told him to keep it on since it's a symbol of royalty, protective and stores Mipha's precious energy inside it. Not to mention Mipha made his armour for him; he had no reason to dislike it in the least.

The couple have been more conservative with the amount of energy Link had along with learning how to unleash it in a more controlled manner. Recently he's been able to keep himself from using it at all while at other times the energy surged into his body on its own. It's almost as if it had a will of its own. But he was thankful for that, as it would often clear his mind and force him to think clearly. The sudden rush of adrenaline felt like it almost purged his system of any negative feelings he had at the time. That included the urges to strip to his silk clothing or unwarranted fury that threatened to burst forth at any point.

As Link lay on the bed with Mipha atop of him, he became more and more convinced that something was wrong with him. But every time he tried to tell anybody, he would suddenly find that he was unable to. Either he got something caught in his throat and was unable to form words, or his mouth just spit out garbled information that didn't relate at all to what he wanted to say. There had been times with Mipha's touch that he'd almost gotten the words out. When he was so close to being able to convey his insecurities and paranoid fears, he was always interrupted by the busy workflow of paperwork and reports.

Link frowned as he knew he had to tell somebody. He needed this feeling off of his chest. He looked down to Mipha, about to speak as she shifted again in his sleep. But as she tossed and turned in her pleasant dreams, she rolled away from Link and off of him. She wrapped her arms in front of her as a smile once again formed along her features. But for Link, his mouth froze as air escaped from it silently—unable to form the words he so badly wanted to.

His body immediately began to feel colder without Mipha's touch. He knew she'd been using her powers on him, and now that she wasn't he suddenly felt scared. His fingers tingled slightly as the hairs along his body rose in terror. Link didn't quite know why he was so scared until he motioned to re-embrace Mipha. The problem was: he wasn't able to touch her—He wasn't able to move at all.

Link had never experienced sleep paralysis before, but had only heard about the experience from some of his fellow soldiers. He knew that Zelda used to often suffer from it, but she never had the courage to tell him about what it was like. But now, Link knew exactly why.

He couldn't feel anything. He couldn't move. It felt almost as if the bed that was under him had fallen away as he stared blankly up at the ceiling, unable to shut his eyes. The floating sensation made his mouth go dry as his breathing went uncontrollably ragged. His entire body tingled as he tried to yell out Mipha's name; to wake her up and help him somehow. But nothing came out, just the silent scream of a helpless body. He felt as if he were choking. It was like someone had placed an entire house on his chest as he struggled to breathe in any air through his panic.

As Link lay there motionless, unable to defend himself, he began to see things, people made of complete shadow walked around the bed and glared at him with their shining white teeth. A constant buzzing of some kind of insect went around his ears that faded into the sound of grotesque crunching. It sounded like someone eating with their mouth open as Link was only able to imagine what the sound was coming from—what kind of insect was burrowing deep into the side of his head. As Link's fear rose and his terror grew higher than it ever had before in his life, his mind began to go blank.

Link felt the familiar fog pass over his mind. It felt like exhaustion, but somehow it was something more. He couldn't remember any of his happy moments with Mipha. In fact, he remembered some arguments between them that he wasn't even sure at first were real. Link had no way of knowing that the small piece of darkness inside of him was able to manufacture memories, create feelings that were otherwise nonexistent and even try and guide his thinking. Luckily, the fake memories were wiped away by Mipha's power whenever she used it on him—which was fairly often. But this was only when Mipha had a direct contact with him or he had the armour on. As Link's face grew pale and the colour drained out of his irises, he was convinced the arguments were real. As his mind began to confuse itself and forget how to think, the visions and sounds faded. His breathing returned to normal as he now continued to stare at the ceiling.

Instinctively, he wanted to look at Mipha but something stopped him from turning his head. Instead he just sat up, swung his legs over the side of the bed and put his head into his hands. He wasn't trying to forget the horrific experience he'd just gone through, but was instead trying to piece together what was real in his head and what wasn't. Feelings of suspicion rose inside of him as he knew something was wrong. He couldn't remember some of his most pleasant memories. He knew they existed but when he tried to picture them, it just faded from his mind. He tried to remember his first kiss with Mipha, but it was wiped from his head like chalk from a blackboard. This went on for only a minute before Link wasn't able to remember any positive memory at all.

Mipha tossed and turned in her sleep as Link stood up slowly. He shook his head but the haze only grew. He wasn't able to think—wasn't able to formulate what to do. Instead, his subconscious seemed to take over as he felt urged to trust his new instincts. The room was completely silent as the air outside was completely barren of clouds. Odd, it had been raining an hour ago, but now it felt dry in the room. Link felt curious about that fact and wanted to know more about it. He did so by walking towards the towering balcony as more negative feelings of despair and pressure surged into his mind.

By the time he had made the ten paces, opened the doors, and put his hands on the railing, Link had already forgotten what he was coming out here for. He looked around outside, seeing nothing of any importance to him other than a lonely cloud drifting lazily overhead. Suddenly, as if forced, he remembered: the angered faces of the Zoran citizens recently, the disappointment of Mipha in his archery ability and the constant berating of Revali. All the positive outcomes and moments completely vanished as only the negative portions were taken out of context and slipped into his subconscious. As his mind raced, taking in the seemingly new moments from his life, Link looked around again. He was miserably looking for something to do—something that would ease his mind or at least take away the thoughts he currently had. As he peered over the railing, he remembered what he had come out here to do. He came onto the balcony to jump.

Mipha tossed and turned as a sudden breeze made her shiver. Instinctively, she rolled over and tried to grab onto the warm body beside her; but, there was no one in the bed with her. She blinked her eyes open lazily and looked around for her beloved. She noticed the glass doors of the balcony were thrown open and she assumed Link was out there. She shivered again as a breeze blew into the room. She shook her head and wondered what the hell he was doing out there. Maybe he just couldn't sleep; she'd noticed he hadn't gotten any for days but every time she pried him for an answer, he always made some lousy excuse. But she knew something was off about him, how he became distant at times or couldn't seem to control his emotions. But she'd always been able to calm him, especially with the use of her powers. Her curiosity piqued as she timidly got out of the bed. She stood in the centre of the room as she caught sight of him.

He was gazing out at the barren sky. It almost scared Mipha at how cloudless the sky was. It wasn't unusual for the skies not to cry during the night, but it was rare to see a cloudless sky at any point of the day. Mipha smiled slightly as she saw him looking around across the beautiful landscape. There wasn't any way for her to know that he wasn't able to see any of it as his mind was bombarded with memory after memory. She had no way of having even an inkling of how he felt; that is until she saw him starting to climb slowly, but steadily, onto the metal railing.

Link felt nothing as he got his feet onto the railing. It's not that he was forcing the feelings away, but more that he didn't have the ability to as his mind became marginally clearer. As it did, he was able to focus more on the task he was given. His body began to tremble as alarm bells in the deepest, purest part of his conscience went off. It knew something was wrong and was trying to tell Link. But a second after the moment of doubt came over him, his subconscious mind filtered in over the sudden thumping of his heart in his eardrums. As his mind cleared again and his couple seconds of hesitation over, he felt surer than ever. This was the solution to the problem he couldn't even voice if he tried. His body seemed to move on its own as one leg lifted—tilting forward slightly and over the precipice that would undoubtedly kill anyone that was unfortunate enough to fall from it. He noticed the large platform just in front of the king's hall is where he would land. Somehow, the publicity of the area he would die seemed to soothe his mind uncomfortably. As this thought crossed his mind, he barely noticed the pain in his right hand and forearm as Mipha dug her claws into him, drawing blood by doing so.

Link heard a faint scream of terror that spoke his name. _Odd_ , he thought, _I didn't think I'd hear that again._ But he did as his body was suddenly pulled backwards, away from his certain death. His arm jerked behind him with such a sudden and powerful force that his shoulder was nearly dislocated. He felt as if his hand would be ripped off as panic rose in his system at the falling sensation. But luckily, he was falling backwards.

Link landed on his upper back and skid a foot away from the railing, the breath being forced from his body by the impact. As his torso and legs hit the ground, he suddenly felt a spark of anger towards who had ruined his plan. He turned with a sudden, violent movement of his neck to see who it was that currently had their claws stabbed into his hand and forearm. It was none other than his beloved Mipha. Inexplicably, using the word beloved was a stretch for him as she thought of her. Another moment of doubt washed over him as he knew that was wrong; he always loved the word beloved, why did he suddenly hate it?

"Link! What are you doing?!" Mipha's panicked words cut directly through the fog in his mind. He felt a moment of clarity as he remembered fully who she was and how she cared for him. But it was all wiped away as the violent waves that had grown in his mind crashed back together, wiping the memories from him again.

He frowned at her with disgust and tried to pull away. Mipha dug her claws in slightly deeper to keep him away from getting up. He was able to overpower her if he wanted, which is why she took every precaution to keep him on his back. She knew something was wrong with him. Not just a psychological issue, but physically too. She saw what Kodah had as Link's skin was sickly paler than it should be. The tips of his hair were frosted as he breathed heavily through grit teeth. His eyes barely seemed to recognize her and all she could see in his white, colourless irises was pure malice.

As Link regathered himself to get up, Mipha forced him back down to look more clearly at him. His fingers seemed to be twitching with the signs of an inner conflict as his eyes returned back to the same, ever-searching gaze he had when speaking to Dorephan after his duel with Dark Link. Actually, Mipha thought, he had this look all too often recently. Except this time, when he was able to focus his eyes on her, they both flashed a deep ruby red.

They didn't all flash at once, but instead it was more like a wave. Colour appeared in the centre of his pupils and moved outward like ripples in a wave of water. However, it didn't scare Mipha as it had Kodah. Instead, it confirmed her suspicions of some dark force affecting Link. She let out a sigh of relief, knowing he hadn't gotten up onto that ledge of his own free will. But at the same time, she was horrified by what could have forced him to do so. She didn't even think of a power strong enough to affect the will of a creature other than Ganon's.

Mipha jumped out of thought as Link struggled again. She quickly clambered on top of him, placing her rump on his abdomen to keep his back planted firmly on the ground. She kept her left hand where it was in his hand and moved her right onto his left wrist. He didn't stop struggling to rise, almost forcing Mipha off the ground immediately.

"Link! Stop! It's me!"

"Let go!" Link shouted in frustration. That's when Mipha noticed the change in his voice. The sound was deeper than she remembered with a familiar echo behind it. It wasn't exact, but he sounded similar to Dark Link himself. That's where she had seen the red eyes and grey hair from before. Now she was 100% sure that Link was the subject of corruption, but luckily it hasn't fully set in yet.

As Mipha struggled to keep Link where he was, she began to panic. In doing so, she unintentionally unleashed a semblance of power into his bare wrists. His toned abdomen and silk shorts twisted under her as he continued thrashing under the weight on top of him. It wasn't that Mipha was heavy naturally, but something inside him didn't want to fight back. He could easily throw her off of him, but deep down, something refused to hurt her. Some covered up part of his mind sparked and, even as he tried to, he couldn't bring himself to harm her—but he still wanted to get up. Mipha noticed a glint of recognition in Link's eyes as she used some of her power. A healthy colour returned to Link's arms as the recent stab wounds disappeared, the skin sealing itself back to its original state. He stopped trying to get up as Mipha realized what was happening.

Her powers were reversing the effects of the corruption on Link's body. That explains why she was always able to calm him so easily or why she had caught him fiddling with a strap or two on his helmet or chest plate. They stored energy from her power, an energy that opposed that of Ganon and Dark Link. It had destroyed a dark arrow before, but Link had been struck by one four days ago. That was it; the corruption was in his body. Her powers couldn't get rid of it completely, otherwise it would have been eradicated by know, but she was at least able to prolong it or possibly even stop it from arising like it currently was. Either way, it was her only hope.

Before the corruption in Link's mind could begin to refill the sudden void, he felt Mipha place one of her hands over his face. A burst of warmth erupted into his system, starting from his left cheek. It was one of the most comforting things he felt in his life as he exhaled with surprise. He blinked a few times as his mind began to clear again. But this time, he was free to think what he wanted without an invisible hand guiding his thoughts. As he breathed clearly, Mipha placed a second hand onto his other cheek and the warmth erupted again. The odd tingling sensation in his fingers fleeted and he felt bliss as peaceful memories came flooding into his mind. All the thoughts he had that were forcibly wiped all came back at once, disorienting him. It took a couple seconds for him to sort through them. But as he did, the memory of his sleep paralysis and attempted suicide began to fade away.

As the corruption fully left his mind for the moment, Link opened his eyes to a terrified Mipha. He saw the sky above them with a lonely cloud drifting through. A drop of rain touched his forehead as his eyes drifted back to hers. He didn't know why, but Mipha seemed overfilled with joy, even through her terror, at his recognition. Link frowned and looked around confused.

He took a moment to recognize that he was on the floor of Mipha's bedroom balcony. But... the last thing he could remember was lying in bed thinking about Mipha's powers and her dreams. _How'd I get out here?_ Link's frown deepened as he struggled to remember the last five minutes that were so similar to the other gaps in his memory.

He looked back to Mipha's comforting gaze as he put a hand over one of hers asking, "Was I sleep walking?"


	23. A Glint of Hope

_My mind is not my own._

 _I can't close my eyes without the fear of being unable to reopen them. I feel a void inside me; not emptiness as something fills it—but more like an eternal darkness that simply refuses to be squandered. It occupies my thoughts whenever my mind is idle. It exists in the deepest parts of every choice I make. How can I be sure what I do isn't influenced by this dark power? What if I am just a pawn in its master plan? Do I not actually have control, but am just convinced that I do? How can I be sure of any choice I've made recently? How can I be sure of anything I do—or even don't do?_

 _To escape reality, I like to wander through the open expanse that is my imagination—to create the impossible. At times it's an endless cobblestone hallway with murals that spiral infinitely along the walls. Other times it's an open field with impossible creatures within it; majestic, soaring animals of scales, horns and feathers. Many of them could fly into the blue sky to get a closer look at the sun while those on the opposite end of the spectrum had the ability to swim to the deepest part of any ocean and find even more impossible creatures like themselves, but not anymore. The animals don't swim; they don't even fly anymore. It's a rare occurrence to even perceive one of the fake creatures I've made in my day-dreaming subconscious. Now, all my imagination can create is a dark room; one that has no walls and echoes endlessly if I were to scream. For some reason, no matter how loud I yell, I always get the feeling that no one can hear; that no one will ever hear my struggle. The only two tenants in my mind now is myself, the small voice that prompts me towards greatness, and the darkness sitting inside me, waiting ever-so-patiently to burst forth like a wave through my emotions. It terrifies me beyond words and emotions that one day, a day either a hundred years in the future or sometime within the next hour, I won't have the mental stamina to keep the darkness behind closed doors anymore; that it will have complete control to end my life as it had almost succeeded at last night. Or even worse, it could lock me in a safe inside of my own body and force me to watch as it commits atrocities._

 _The only reassurance I have is the smile of my beloved. Even though parts of my mind scream at me to get away from her, that she's my kryptonite, I stay by her side. She is my anchor to reality; something that I know is real and has the power to ward off the perpetual danger inside me. I tend to reminisce on the blue glow of her hands and the warmth that emanates from them. It's soothing almost to the point of addiction._

 _For at times when I find myself being pulled under by waves of darkness and malevolence, she is able to throw a lifesaver that would drag me back to the shore of sanity. But with each time I recover, so do the waves. The tides never seem to go back out but instead grow into an insurmountable force equal in power to a tsunami. The rolling waves that want to bring me back, to lock my mind into a labyrinth deep into the darkness where I would never escape._

 _Each time I close my eyes, I see the rolling waves of the black water. There is no sun. There are no clouds and there is not a drop of rain. Each and every time I blink my eyes, an inexplicable feeling arises to keep them closed, to never open them again._

 _In a world of uncertainty, I can only be sure of one thing—my mind is not my own._

"Link." The soft, high pitched voice of Mipha pierced the veil that Link only just began to notice. He forced himself out of his thoughts that he only just realized he was inside. Most times he forced himself not to think, to react instinctively and ignore the echoing voice inside his head that seemed to speak all too often now. It was only once in a blood moon that would he hear a voice he didn't think he'd hear ever again—his own.

"Link?" The voice spoke to him again, with a slightly more worried undertone. The darkness slipped away from him because of her voice, as did the imaginary weights on his eyelids. He decided to find out what she wanted and lazily blinked his eyes open.

What he first saw, was a bright, dazzling sun directly in front of him. Link groaned and shielded his eyes for a second, letting them adjust to the world. As his pupils contracted, he noticed the beautiful landscape of Zora's Domain laid out in front of him. He saw the gleaming metal of Mipha's balcony around him as he looked across the shimmering landscape.

Link stepped forward; putting his hands on the railing as he let the beauty wash over him. He took a deep breath of the humid air, trying to calm his mind; it did nothing to help him, but he liked to do it nonetheless. The metals bars were warm to the touch because of the radiant rays of sunlight on them. But even as Link revelled in the status he had and where he lived, something was still wrong. No matter what he did, there was a constant feeling of dread that loomed over him like a cloud. It felt like their was a weight in his stomach as it tossed and turned uncomfortably every time he had self-conscious thoughts.

Link suddenly remembered the events of last night, or at least how Mipha had described it to him. He let go of the railing and took a step back, not wanting to be so close to a perilous drop anymore. He backed up into their bedroom again, avoiding any possible dangers.

He knew that he wasn't in full control at all times. Although, he didn't have it all pieced together yet. Mipha hadn't explained much last night either, only that she'd saved his life and that something was definitely wrong with him. That thought disturbed him for the rest of that sleepless night; the thought that he was right and hadn't been able to tell anyone else—to call for help.

Link re-entered the room to see Mipha sitting on their bed, staring at him expectantly. She hadn't let him out of her sight since last night or been able to explain much of what had happened. Link knew that he had attempted to jump from the balcony, but that was one of the only things he knew. Mipha had been nearly hysterical earlier when trying to explain anything.

She looked calmer now, more collected, as Link slumped down beside her. The bed undulated under both of them as the water inside it came to rest. He looked over, opening his mouth to say something; but yet again, something stopped him from speaking. He let out a soundless sigh and shut his mouth, looking away from his beloved.

Mipha knew what was going on by now. She had been studying how Link had been acting ever since they'd gotten up. She knew that he wanted to voice something each time their eyes met. His eyes screamed and she wasn't sure if he was screaming at himself or her. Either way, something was wrong in his head—something was in there that didn't belong.

"Link… you can talk to me. Tell me what happened. Tell me what's happening inside of that thick skull of yours." Mipha spoke to him as she would to a child.

Link didn't recognize the tone, but he did the words. He wanted to try again, to try and voice his concerns on what he didn't even know about. But before he could speak, Mipha shuffled along the bed towards him, placing a hand on his bare sternum. She barely did it this time to simply feel his rounded pectorals, but more to purposefully clear his mind as she let her power flow freely into his body—no longer worrying about moderation. Unfortunately, Link wasn't wearing any of his armour currently to help disperse her healing or to prolong its effects. But even without it, the pure burst of energy was enough for now.

Mipha knew it was corruption that shrouded his mind. She'd searched for other answers but nothing fit his inexplicable symptoms as well as the darkness of Ganon. The fact that he had only started acting differently after his duel with Dark Link only further confirmed her thoughts.

She suspected the corruption inside him was what kept him from speaking about it. She knew that he was being quieter than usual with her. It was normal for him to be quiet around other people, but he had grown comfortable around her recently and wasn't afraid to voice his opinion on matters— which is why it scared her that he'd grown silent again with her. The first symptom of the corruption must be the host attempting to subconsciously hide it.

Link blinked his eyes as the energy from Mipha's rejuvenating powers entered his system. His heart beat slightly faster, spreading it evenly around his body in a quick manner. He let out a sharp breath and took another one in, seeing the black, unassailable waves in his head began to die back down to a calm, serene ocean.

As his breathing settled back down, he looked over to Mipha and spoke unevenly, "S-Something is wrong with me."

Mipha's heart was caught in her throat as she tried to respond immediately, wanting to calm him as much as she could. She felt a pang in her heart as she saw how broken Link was. Not only did she see the helplessness in his eyes, she heard the unspoken cry for help in his voice. Mipha took a deep breath as she realized that Link didn't even know what was happening to him.

"Link… I… I don't know how to say this."

"You know what's going on? I don't care what it is, I have to know; I have to know how to fix this."

"I don't know if we can, Link." Mipha spoke through the pain she felt. She didn't want to say it. She didn't want to tell Link what she already deep down knew but didn't fully accept herself.

"If you know what it is, you have to tell me. Please."

Mipha looked up into Link's eyes. He looked down evenly at her. She saw the sudden sturdiness in his eyes; a determination that hadn't existed there before. She knew that he was excited to hear what she thought it was. In fact, she was completely guessing but it was the most logical fact. Mipha took a deep breath and prepared to give Link a piece of her mind.

"I… I think it's corruption. The kind that comes from Ganon… or more specifically, one of Dark Link's arrows."

Mipha froze as the colour drained out of Link's face. The smile that was fluttering on the edges of his lips disappeared slowly and his back slumped slightly. His eyes were still looking at her, but somehow it seemed as he was looking past her. It's almost as if saying those words had terrified him down to his core and frozen him solid; that is until he shook his head in disbelief and got up from the bed—away from Mipha and her powers.

"No it's not possible. You're saying that I'm turning into Dark Link. Im not turning into that monster. How could you say that?! You know that's not the answer!" Link spoke angrily as he started pacing in front of Mipha. His volume steadily increased as he spoke. "It's got to be something else; something that we can fix."

Mipha recoiled slightly at the sudden aggression. She hadn't expected this response. What she had expected is for Link to be glad that he knew what the problem was since he was always the optimistic type—one that would always see the bright side of things. But as she watched Link pace around the room rubbing his temples in thought, or in pain from a sudden headache, she knew that the corruption was deeper than she'd originally thought.

Mipha knew that Link needed her and her powers to stave off the darkness. But it seemed like he was avoiding her as he paced—making semi-circles around the bed. He muttered incoherent words under his breath as he rapped his knuckles on his temples.

Something was forming in Mipha's head; an idea or reminder that would be able to help Link. She knew it was there but just out of her reach. It wasn't until Mipha looked into the blue flame that sparked from her hands that she remembered his armour and where it currently sat in the back room of the closet. She knew it would help him or at least bring him back to a more stable state of mind.

Link froze, stopping his frantic pacing. He glared at Mipha as she gingerly got up while keeping her eyes locked on his. He saw the faint glow of her hands as she took a step towards him. He took a step back.

"Link, come here. Let's get your armour and sit down to talk."

"I don't want to talk! You've said enough." Link's mind sat in a stalemate as he stared un-movingly into her eyes. "Get out."

"Or what? This is my room, if anything you'd get out." She took another step towards him with an outstretched hand. "Or instead of that, you can let me help you." The pulsating glow grew ever so slightly in her palm as Link avoided looking at it.

"You've helped me enough. Stay away from me!" Link snapped at her as his back bumped against the wall behind him. He dashed to the side, away from Mipha as she tried to coddle him. He didn't know why he had the sudden urge to stay away from her or why part of him wanted to go straight into her arms. The conflict within him was terrifying and he didn't know how to act while trying to resolve it. For now, he just went with his instincts and backed away from Mipha, towards the main door that led to the spiral staircase down the tower. He was about to reach for the knob as Mipha stopped.

She couldn't let him leave the tower, not in this state. If he was to leave this room, he was to leave it wearing his armour and with her close at hand. But she needed to calm him down as she got his armour—she doubted that he would willingly get it himself. Mipha had hoped to use her powers on him again to calm him before she went to get it, but the closer she got the more agitated he became. She didn't want him to panic and hurt her or himself. Even worse he'd get to the balcony again or make a run down the stairs. Mipha decided to take a gamble and trust that Link could maintain the deadlock occurring within his mind.

"Okay, Link. I'm not going to come any closer," Mipha spoke softly as she backed away from him, "but I'm going to need you to stay here, okay?"

As she spoke Link watched as she backed away from him. The hairs on the back of his neck slowly fell flat again as his hand slipped off the doorknob. He let out a breath he didn't even know he was holding as he kept his death-stare centered on her. He was trying to observe every movement she makes, trying to decide whether she was going to try and trick him into going towards her. But she made no such movement as she simply turned towards the balcony doors.

The doors themselves were double doors made of glass. The panes were thick and bordered by thin strips of luminous stone which made the glass turn green near the edges. Both doors had a knob and a small lock on each door that would prevent the doors from opening. He'd never used them before, but he understood that Mipha was about to.

The locks themselves were rusted to the point that they barely slid out of one door to bar the other. But with a little force, the screeching locks slid into place, firmly setting each door where they were. Link's head twitched at the sound that was similar to nails on a blackboard as Mipha finished.

He watched her turn around and, with only a glance over towards him, disappear into the walk in closet to his right.

Link grinned—he was alone. He immediately looked towards the two doors on the opposite side of the room that Mipha had just finished locking. He tempted himself with unlocking it just out of spite, but immediately shoved that idea out of his head as he knew she'd hear it instantly and come out of the closet from behind him. He wouldn't have much time to react to her before she could grab him and use her powers if he were to do that.

He could try to leave; the door was right behind him. The idea appealed to him, knowing he wanted to be isolated at the moment. He could go wherever he wanted, do as he pleases. He'd be able to get his weapons from the stable and go from there. Link nodded to himself, this idea was a good one. But that annoying spark of light within his soul made him hesitate again—as it did every time. Before he grabbed the doorknob, he asked himself why he wanted to get away from her. She was his girlfriend; she was one of the only people he really enjoyed being around, yet he was trying to flee? It didn't make sense to him for a second. But it didn't always have to make sense. Link acted on his instincts for most of his life and that's what he kept him alive. It got him into the royal guard. It got him to where he was today and he wasn't about to just defy them to logic and reason. Link shook his head to rid himself of thought and motioned to grab the doorknob.

 _A glint._ As Link had moved, something deeper in the room had shone light into his eyes. It was a small, concentrated light meaning that it had shone off of something equally small and most likely metallic. Link moved back so that the light flashed into his eyes again. As it did, Link pinpointed exactly what it was that had caught his interest. It wasn't a chair or table as he had originally thought, but instead it was something on the table. From here, he wasn't able to see exactly what it was, but now he was interested. He was alone in Mipha's room; why shouldn't he do a little snooping before leaving?

As his curiosity piqued, Link slithered towards the desk to find out what was on it. Invaluable secrets? A financial ledger? Maybe even a security report? His mind raced as he thought of what it could be. His mouth watered at the prospect of gaining knowledge that could possibly cripple Zora society. As he stepped silently across the room, Link glanced at the darkened closet—hearing Mipha searching around for the armour. A sly grin slipped onto his face as he remembered how he had hid it deep into the back of the closet so that it would be harder to find if anyone were to look for it. It had been another one of his inexplicable urges, but he just had to get it out of plain sight. But she'd find it eventually which is why he had to be quick.

Link got alongside the table and tilted his head as he saw what was on it. It was a small book that was only 6 inches long and 4 inches wide. The cover was turquoise with a painted symbol of Mipha's royal symbol—three crescent moons all facing away from each other with the convex portions touching one another. The back was the same colour as the front while the spine of the book was the reoccurring gray colour of the metal in Zora's Domain. There was a small latch that protruded from the back of the book. It was currently looped over the side using hinges and a small hook on the front front of the book was slipped through a hole on the face of the latch. A patch of sunlight was reflecting off of a small padlock on the book. That must be what had caught his attention to it. The lock itself resided within the hook which kept the latch locked over the front of the book—keeping anyone from opening the book without her key. Link grinned, knowing this was his chance to finally get a peek inside of Mipha's diary.

Luckily, Link knew where she kept the key. His gaze drifted lazily from the book towards the flowerpot that stood alone on her dresser. It was made of dull red clay that stood out in the silver room as Link stepped towards it. The flower inside it was none other than the white petal Hylian flower with a purple centre. For a second he remembered the moment between he and Mipha when he'd given her the flower on their way to Hyrule Castle. He was surprised she'd kept it alive throughout the entire ride and even managed to replant it. He frowned, wondering if she had cheated the life of the plant by using her powers on it. His frown deepened when he didn't know if her powers even worked on plant-life or not.

Either way, Link wasn't currently interested in the plant; it's what's underneath it that he wants. Link lifted the pot, which was lighter than he would have thought, and rubbed his hand around the bottom. He felt the outline of a metal piece of a key that was pushed slightly inside of the clay. He scrambled his fingernails over the key, trying to free it as fast as possible. After a couple seconds, the key popped out of its perfectly shaped cave and into his hand.

It was small, barely even an inch in length. It was made out of the familiar silver and had small ruby and sapphires embedded in the thicker parts of the key. Link looked at it for a moment before glancing back towards the closet for any sign of movement.

A moment passed before Link was content that Mipha hadn't noticed him grab her key. He looked away right as her head appeared in the doorway. Her eyes riveted on her boyfriend as he wandered back towards the desk. She held her breath, knowing he'd found her key. She gave herself a mental note to hide the key better next time. She pondered on how he'd even found it without eavesdropping on her. Mipha frowned as she realized that's exactly what he must have done. Her mind flicked back into reality as she heard the click of the lock being undone on her diary. A feeling of panic rose inside of her as she instinctively wanted to hide the book from him. However, she managed to stop herself before she could inadvertently call out and ask what he was doing. Link was distracted. He wasn't trying to leave or put himself into any danger. He was being curious as he always was. Although she would much prefer he didn't ever see what she'd put in there, she knew it was the safest thing for him to be doing right now.

That and she hadn't found the armour yet. It should have been sitting in the open but must be tucked away behind something else now. She rubbed her hairless eyebrows knowing she shouldn't collect fancy clothes if she doesn't even wear them; but it was a bad habit, one that would be very hard to break. She looked back to Link and swallowed her pride as she hoped he wouldn't find anything too embarrassing about her. She sighed and disappeared back into the darkness in search of his armour as Link opened the first page.

Link tried to control his excitement but it was boiling over by now. He'd always seen Mipha scribbling in it when he wasn't looking. She always slammed it shut and refused to show it to him whenever he asked her about it. He'd never pried any further into the subject, content to let her have some privacy; but now he was going to have her secrets after all. He was going to find out what was most important to her, her biggest fears or anything about the Zora's he could exploit. As the thought of sabotage slipped into his mind, Link forced it away. He didn't want to hurt Zora's Domain and he definitely didn't want to hurt Mipha. He loved her, why would he have these thoughts at all? As he stared blankly at the first page without actually reading it, he felt that he should close the book. It was a collection of her personal feelings that aren't meant to be shared with others yet here he was sneaking into it. If she was always so defensive of it, shouldn't he respect her wishes?

Link almost put the book down; but as curiosity killed the cat, it killed his etiquette. His vision focused onto the pages and the words came into view for the first time. As his eyes filled with intrigue, Link delved into the diary.

To begin, Link got bored of it—very, very bored of the diary. It barely had anything in the start. It was just a collection of minor details in Mipha's life that wouldn't mean anything to her anymore. However, there was the odd piece or two on him when he was younger. To be honest, Link was a little surprised that she'd been interested in his character before they were even considering each other for a relationship. But as Link continued reading the menial tasks she had to do and the odd mention of creating the armour, Link grew even more bored. He got to the point where he just skimmed the pages, barely even reading the words as he looked for something juicy. After a couple seconds of flicking randomly through the pages, Link found a title that was different than all the rest.

It was a bold title, repetitively scratched in several times with a quill, which read the simple words: "the best day of my life so far." Link's hands froze as he got to this page. Finally, something interesting he thought to himself as he looked at the date. He raised an eyebrow as he realized she'd written this entry the day she'd given him the armour. He let out a flicker of a smile as he sat down into the chair, knowing he was going to start reading this much more thoroughly now.

Link barely heard Mipha scavenging around for his well-hidden armour as he read what she'd written. He'd never noticed how beautiful and neat her writing was until now. Even if he was able to see where she had to dip her quill into the inkwell and continue writing, he still found it aesthetically pleasing. The chapter itself started off with the incident with Mipha spilling wine on his shirt. Deep down he'd always known she'd done it on purpose but he never would have called her out on it. He let out an inkling of a smile and continued reading to see what else he was right about.

Most of the writing was a mess as she tried to explain what she was feeling at the time. She described it as a divine experience that made it feel as if she were glowing when by his side; that by somehow being with him made her immediately safer and surer of herself than she'd ever been before. He couldn't tell whether she was more proud of him or herself as she rambled on about her sudden fulfillment in life. As Link read, his cheeks grew red slightly as his stomach grew a knot. He could feel the love she had for him through the near-incomprehensible rambling that Mipha wrote about him. The diary was something that she put her pure emotion into without a need to filter it or tone it down in anyway. Although Link already knew how much she loved him and vice a versa, it almost seemed to choke him as he realized how happy she really was with him. At times, Link had to look away from the book just to let his own pride in her die down before it could suffocate him.

None of the remaining chapters were as long or extensive in her emotions as that one. But it still warmed Link's heart as Mipha explained that she loved having him defend her honour from Murphy or just protecting her in general. Link's love for her grew even more as he continued to realize the extent that she really cared for him and what she'd do for him. There were also times when Link's cheeks burned red as Mipha described his body in as much detail as she dared herself to—so much detail that Link tried to skip most of it.

Even with the aftermath of his duel with Dark Link, Mipha splurged her feelings about being able to heal him when he needed it. She'd always enjoyed being able to help him indirectly, or directly, whenever possible; But being able to hide behind his muscular form while still helping him with her powers was a dream come true for her. It's almost like the proximity to him directly related to how she felt whether it was in the sense of safety or merriment.

The darkness in Link was forcibly shoved into the far corners of his mind by the light of his love for Mipha. Being able to know that she reciprocated every feeling he felt for her was nothing short of a godsend for Link. He never knew that Mipha almost always enjoyed being able to hide behind him even though she was easily the best warrior amongst the Zora's. She took pride in the skill of her Champion while he took pride in her confidence in him. This small book was a recounting of her raw emotion that he was reading. Feelings can't lie as Link felt the strength of what she thought for him and the amount she cared. He'd never had anyone have such a deep-rooted care for him before; but as he went on reading, Link was ecstatic to finally have what he didn't even know he'd been looking for his entire life—love.

However, all colour drained out of Link's face as he reached the last page. It had one sentence scrawled diagonally the page in a panicked fashion. The alluring writing style had completely disappeared and instead adopted a messier version that could only be created by intense stress. The message looked like it was rushed as the ends of letters trailed off slightly as her hands must have trembled while writing this. On the most recent, currently undated, page was scrawled, "I can't lose him."

Even if there was more to read, Link didn't think he'd be able to. The sheer difference in the writing showed her sentiments clear as day. She was genuinely afraid to lose him whether it was in battle or to the darkness inside him. Even if she never said it directly, Link knew that she cared about him more than herself; he also felt the same way about her. Somehow, knowing that one day in the far or near future, Mipha will be devastated by his death made him want to live more than anything.

Link wasn't afraid to die; but if his death was to harm Mipha, then he would have to try his best to survive. Of course he didn't want to die but this only gave him an extra reason to live. To be honest, he's felt himself unable to control the darkness inside him. Link had been starting to give up trying to hold back the corruption. It was tiring and sapped all of the energy inside of him. But as realization struck that he wouldn't be the one most affected by his own corruption, Link knew that he couldn't give up—not yet, not ever. He'd never want to do that to Mipha; so if he had to fight for his life a thousand times over, he'd do it without hesitation. As he closed the cover to the diary, Link forcibly shoved the corruption into the deepest corners of his mind. He'd never be able to get rid of it on his own; instead he just locked it away in the very safe that it threatened to put him in.

Link laid the book flat on the desk and stared at the cover for a second. He stood up, wiping his red eyes and telling himself to man up. It didn't help as he felt his eyes drawn towards the closet where Mipha was. He suddenly wanted to be at her side, knowing that he was a danger to himself and others around him. She was the only person that could keep him in check—physically and mentally. But before he could even take a step, Mipha trudged out of the shadows holding the armour in her arms in front of her.

"Hey, I found your armour. _Someone_ must have tried to hide it." Mipha glared at Link as she spoke. "Anyways, what have you been up to?"

Link didn't move as Mipha stepped towards him. He glanced back at the diary and the opened lock lying beside it. He knew there was no reason to lie to Mipha if she already saw what he was doing.

As Link shifted his gaze back towards her, he let out a faint smile and spoke uncertainty, "Just looking for a little hope."

Mipha matched his smile as he didn't try to get away from her like before. "Did you find any?" She eagerly awaited Link's answer as she laid down his chest plate and greaves on the bed.

"More than I expected."

Mipha couldn't help but let her smile grow, bearing her sharp teeth. She didn't know how Link might react to what she'd written about him as that's almost all of what her recent entries were about. She was elated that he found some peace and meaning through it. Although she didn't quite know his thoughts on it yet, it helped her conscience to know he wasn't disappointed or weirded out. Mipha never knew how to control her feelings for Link, especially now that they were a couple, so she had just written them down. She'd never expected for him to read it and get a glimpse of her mind as he just did. But something was different about him now because of it. He was more confident. His voice didn't struggle to keep up his façade anymore and he stood a little taller with his chin up instead of down. He looked like himself, before the fight with Dark Link.

Mipha didn't say anything as she strode directly to Link, not worried about him running away from her anymore. She raised the helmet above her head and gingerly placed it onto his. She clicked the straps on the sides into place. As she stopped, she realized he'd been gazing into her eyes the entire time. She met his stare with a soothing smile

"How are you fee-" Mipha began whispering to him but was cut off as he stepped towards her. She jumped due to the speed at which he closed the distance between them as he wrapped his arms around her. Link exhaled slowly as his body shook ever so slightly. Mipha took in a breath as she slid her arms up onto his back, holding him close. She didn't use any of her powers, not yet.

Link's voice trembled as he whispered to her, "I-I need help—your help. I'm not in control and I don't know what to do."

Mipha's heart leapt into her throat as she realized that Link was on the verge of crying. She'd never seen him have a tear in his eye let alone cry. He was always so optimistic or silent and stoic. But that means he knew the extent of what was going on with him. He knew what was happening and that precautions are needed. Mipha had no doubts that he would agree to stick to her side at all times, to wear the armour no matter what and to take the next couple days easy.

Mipha cleared her throat, "it's okay Link, I'm here with you. You're in control now and that's what matters."

"But how long will I be stable? What if I lose myself and do something again like I had last night? I can't-"

"Link. It wasn't you."

"But…" Link let out a stuttering breath as he tried to apologize for what he's done. The sudden helplessness feeling was still inside him, even if it was fading with Mipha's touch. He still felt responsible for what he had uncontrollably done in his memory gaps. He stopped himself from continuing and instead just took in a slow deep breath of her scent. Just the proximity to his beloved made all his problems seem to melt away. For a split second as Link's muscles relaxed and his mind went blank, he was at peace. There was no internal power struggle, no helplessness or sense of inevitable danger. For a split second, Link was able to enjoy the sweet embrace of his girlfriend. He saw it as no coincidence that Mipha spoke to him, settling his conscience and eliminating any guilt or regret that he felt for his actions.

"Link, _you've_ done nothing wrong."


	24. Altruistic Deception

"It's just safer this way, princess." Gilan spoke to Zelda without turning towards her.

Zelda frowned and slumped forward grumpily in her saddle. The five of them, Zelda and her four guards, were travelling towards Zora's Domain on the road. Originally she was going to avoid roads completely and keep a low profile as they made their way slowly to Zora's Domain. There were large plains of tall grass and forests that would hide them from unwanted observers. But not even half a day had passed before Gilan got an idea that was much better than hers—or so she believed.

He knew that they were travelling in a small group and wanted to get to Zora's Domain as quickly as possible; but to get there unseen, they had to take it slower. To Gilan's tactician mind, the best way to hide was to not hide at all.

He suggested that they travel on the road, and disguise themselves to look like ordinary travellers. It wasn't odd to see a small group, presumably a family or merchant caravan, to be travelling from Hyrule to Zora's Domain. First off, it was a popular tourist attraction due to how the spires were all carved out of one singular rock. Many others would visit to buy some of the fine cuisine and delicacies that can't be found anywhere else in the region of Hyrule. Hylian's and Zora's have always had strong relations anyways which reinforced Gilan's idea to hide in plain sight.

Gilan had easily convinced, or more accurately ordered, the guards to ditch their royal uniforms. However, Gilan did tell them to keep the generic pieces of armour like the vambraces and any plate that didn't bear the royal insignia. They also kept their swords as the small symbols on the hilts were easily overlooked by passersby. An initial problem is that it wasn't very ceremonial and was actually frowned upon to sell anything that was property of the crown. But with Zelda's permission, they were all able to purchase some worn out and used coats, jackets and pants once they were able to find a merchant willing to make a trade for the armour sets. Many of them had holes in the knees which were barely covered up by the armour the guard were allowed to keep.

Zelda kept her tight leather pants and boots as they were fairly common clothing. The blue she wore was a colour that was limited only to royalty and the Champions and had to be sold or at least covered up; but not even Rhoame would have been able to convince Zelda to give up her symbol of royalty just to take on a more incognito look. Instead she wore a thin brown silk coat over her torso along with a hooded cloak of a similar colour.

Gilan was a different matter. He wanted to take on the idea that they were a small caravan transporting a small load of insignificant goods coming from Hyrule Castle towards Zora's Domain. This would allow him to say that their protectors were actually simple caravan guards that had little in the way of armour—which was true in the fact that they had little protective gear. Their bodyguards hadn't like that notion but had acquiesced to their bosses, and princess', commands. This is why Gilan was the only one in the group wearing moderately fancy clothing.

Although Zelda was dressed better than the guards, she was nowhere as colourful as Gilan currently was. He had a doublet on that bore scarlet around his torso, shoulders and forearms while the part around his biceps was white. His pants were a similar colour and style with strips of red and white spiralling around his thighs in intricate flower designs. His dark red boots came just below his knee and seemed to blend perfectly into his style. The bright gray, wide brimmed hat he wore was folded on one side with a vibrant rose coloured Rito feather pinned onto the side that rose high into the air above his face. Zelda wanted to describe him as a peacock with the amount of different contrasting colours he wore. In fact, it was difficult not to look at him sometimes when the feather bristled around in the wind or when he twisted his broad shoulders side to side to stretch. The fact that he looked much older than he actually was helped the façade even more.

Even though he was only one year older than Zelda, Gilan looked at least five or maybe even ten years over her. Although he never went out of the way to let others know his real age as he felt that it made him seem less experienced or skilled. Gilan had plenty of combat experience, not as much as Link but still an undeniable amount. The thin dark orange moustache also aided his complexion while simultaneously adding a level of maturity. Gilan always felt inferior to everyone around him when they learnt of his real age—which is why he rarely told anyone. He was glad that Zelda didn't frown at him like so many others did when he had told her about the discrepancy. In fact, she was the one person that had been kind to him and smiled instead of just asking redundant questions. But no matter how people reacted to his personal qualities, it was useful to his authority that he needed when creating a stratagem.

To deepen their cover, they needed a backstory—something to tell someone that was being a little too curious about the convoy. Zelda slumped further in her seat as she remembered that Gilan was posing as her husband. _Or was it the other way around?_ Either way, Gilan was much like Link with the fact that he'd rather piss off a princess rather than endanger her. This philosophy made him surer than ever that she should have a new identity while they travelled.

Zelda could still feel the cold steel of the cheap, fake-jewelled ring he'd bought for her last night. He wore a similar one, except there weren't any sapphires in his; instead it was just a plain band of gold-coloured metal. But this cover would also explain why Zelda was with the caravan in the first place and why she wasn't dressed in a similar fashion to her guards.

But that wasn't what had Zelda so upset at the moment; it was the fact that she had to ride on a smaller steed. Gilan had barely managed to convince her to leave her beautiful white mare at a stable and instead take on a generic brown horse that wasn't even comparable to Gilan's. Zelda rode at least two heads below Gilan as he watched her slump forward more and more. Eventually Zelda sat up straighter, not perfectly straight but enough to retain some of her dignity.

Zelda glared up at Gilan stating, "I know it's safer this way; but that doesn't mean that I have to like it."

"If you'd rather, we can go back to your strategy and get to Zora's Domain tomorrow night. This wa-"

"This way we'll get there by the evening today, around when the sun is setting. I didn't say it's a bad plan, I just don't like handing my horse over to some random stable."

"It's not just _some random stable._ It's run by my mother, Marylin. Anyways, she knows whose horse it is and will take every precaution to make sure she's treated right. If anything your horse will be groomed even better than when she arrived."

Zelda opened her mouth to make a snappy response but stopped herself just in time. She didn't want to insult Gilan by saying that she never trusted the local stablehands. To be honest she was biased against them because of a negative experience where a stablehand had actually lost her horse when she was younger. She may not be as close to her horse as Link is to Epona, but she was pretty damn close.

Zelda let out a huff and twisted the ring around her finger. Even though Gilan had told her it was a cheap knockoff, the craftsmanship on it was remarkable. The large embedded sapphire in the front was perfectly cut and seemed to have a central glow as she kept admiring it. It didn't have any fancy or intricate spirals on it and instead adopted a simplistic design of a golden band with a jewel seamlessly inserted. She'd always loved the simple designs and was surprised that Gilan had picked it out so perfectly for her. But Zelda was still slightly upset that the ring was just a small part of a larger hoax to hide her true identity.

Zelda wasn't a fan of posing as someone's wife; but something about the idea appealed to her. She didn't know if it was the ring or not, but she suddenly felt very envious as she ran her index finger over the pristine jewel.

"If you don't want to wear it princess, I can come up with something else." Gilan's voice cut into her thoughts.

Zelda's hands froze, gripping the golden ring. She suddenly felt very possessive of it and clenched her left hand into a fist, subconsciously refusing to take it off.

She looked up Gilan saying, "It's not that! I just…" Zelda trailed off as her eyes drifted towards the ridiculous feather on Gilan's hat. It had tilted forward slightly, covering one of his eyes so that he had to swat it out of the way. She stifled her laughter as he had to reach up awkwardly to put it back into place—all the while with a grimace on his face. He squinted angrily at the inanimate object as he shoved it back upwards. His eyes immediately shot to Zelda and riveted on her with equal annoyance to the feather as she tried to suppress her laughter. Wordlessly, he shifted in his saddle to face the path again.

Gilan tried to continue as if nothing had happened, "like I said, you don't have to wear the ring if you don't want to. When we stop you can… would you stop that?!" He hissed at Zelda as she let out a partially-stifled snort. Zelda broke out into a fit of laughter at his outburst. She quickly covered her mouth as her cheeks grew red in embarrassment. She quickly brought herself back under control and looked to Gilan again.

"I'm sorry. I just can't take you seriously right now. Did you really have to dress so pretentiously?"

"Yes, I did have to dress this ostentatiously. I have to make it look like I'm the leader of this group even if I'm not."

"I get that! You just… I don't know."

"I look stupid." Gilan spoke in monotone for a second.

"You don't look stupid!"

"I totally do and you've wanted to laugh at me this entire time!"

"Have not!"

"Have too!"

One of the guards that rode ahead of the convoy, the one that was closer to Gilan, rolled her eyes and muttered under her breath, "You two even argue like a couple." Gilan glared at the guard who'd spoken with a piercing gaze. She wasn't able to hold his stare for longer than a second so she looked back out to the path, wishing she hadn't said anything.

Gilan rubbed his eyebrows as he glanced back at the grinning Zelda. "Long story short, I had to dress in these bright colours. Brighter the better while still making it look completely natural."

"What are you trying to do? Get shot?"

"Yes! You're right on the button!" Gilan snapped towards Zelda as he got his point across. He froze when he remembered that he hadn't wanted to tell her that piece of information. He closed his jaw with an audible click and slumped into his seat, no longer holding the proud dignified pose from before.

Zelda didn't say anything either as she realized the full extent of what Gilan was doing. The contrasts of the colours he was wearing along with his exposed pale face and orange spindly moustache made him draw the eye immediately. Whenever Zelda looked over to him, she had a hard time ripping her eyes away. It's not so much because of his attractive features, but more for the buffet of colours he had on him that all seemed to match each other while being seemingly different. Not only was he signifying himself as the head of command that was also denoted by his buff physique and commanding voice, but he was also painting himself as a target.

If someone, either a Yiga, bandit or creature of Ganon, were to try and rob the convoy, Gilan would be the first obvious target. That must be why he was so insistent on riding in the centre of the group with Zelda to his left. Two guards rode ahead of them with one bringing up the rear—a common strategy used by common merchants.

To keep up the image, he didn't have a shield on him or even a sword strapped on his side. Instead he kept his weapons of war strapped to the saddle which wasn't a very conventional place if he were to need it within a seconds notice. Gilan wasn't planning on fighting off any attack; he was making sure that he was the main target instead of the princess.

Zelda grew suddenly very worried and protective of Gilan as she sub-consciously twisted the ring around her finger again. It didn't help that most messengers have been slaughtered recently; Zelda was worried that Gilan would be mistaken for a messenger as they travelled along the main road.

Zelda opened her mouth to voice her concerns to Gilan. But he managed to speak before her, "I'm sorry princess, I shouldn't have spoken like that to you."

As Gilan spoke, Zelda turned to meet his gaze. She no longer wanted to look at the scarlet clothing or outlandish hat; but instead delved deep into his pupils. He let out a gentle smile as their eyes locked. Even though he didn't say anything, Zelda knew that he didn't regret his decision at all. He knew exactly what he was doing and he'd do it a thousand times over. But the thought of how easily an arrow would shear through the cotton he wore lingered in her mind. A bodyguard's job is to protect someone and die for them if necessary; but Gilan's plan was solely built around him dying so that he could guarantee Zelda making it to Zora's Domain.

Zelda tried to speak but something was caught in her throat. She cleared it and clenched her left hand as she shined the sapphire ring with her right thumb. "It's okay. Not all that often someone speaks to me without remembering my position. It was… nice to know there are some people still like that out there."

"I'm honoured you think so. But I'll try not to let it happen again, my lady."

"Gilan, you don't have to call me _my lady_ or _princess._ Just call me Zelda."

"Thank you, prin- Zelda… Thank you, Zelda." Gilan clicked his mouth shut before he could say anymore. Honestly he was a little surprised by the sudden over-friendly attitude that Zelda had for him. He looked at her out of the corner of his eye to see her polishing the ring again. He frowned, _does she know? No, there's no way she knows._ He shook his head and put his eyes back on the path and the trees around them—searching for an unseeable assailant.

Gilan had only been able to keep his eyes on the path for a minute before the uncharacteristically-timid Zelda spoke to him again.

"Gil'?"

" _Mhm?"_ Gilan hummed as he glanced towards Zelda. She'd never called him Gil' before; No one had ever shortened his name before nor has he ever had any sort of sobriquet. He frowned for a moment, trying to decide whether he liked this new development or not. He dropped the frown after half a second in case Zelda saw it and took it as a sign not to use the new nickname anymore.

"This plan of yours… it's very brave you know."

"I would hope so. Otherwise it won't work."

"That's not what I mean."

"Then what do you mean?" Gilan turned to Zelda with one eyebrow raised.

"What I mean is… you're more dedicated than most. I really appreciate you doing this."

"It's not a problem, Zelda. Just doing my job is all." Zelda let a small smile touch the edges of her lips. Somehow she knew that Gilan would be just as modest as Link was. He always trained the best warriors with Gilan being his prized pupil. But there was something more to him that she wasn't seeing. She could feel it, but couldn't even name it if she tried. Zelda spoke again, sub-consciously prolonging the conversation as long as she could.

"Alright… let's hope we don't run into any unexpected company.

"Agreed, for both our sakes."

Zelda kept an eye on Gilan as he looked away from her and at the edge of the path for any possible predators. She whispered half to herself, "but mostly for your sake."

* * *

Gilan cursed silently at himself and straightened his back again. He always forgot to hold the posture of a wealthy man because it was killing his back; but he had to keep up the image, not knowing who was watching and when.

It was getting close to noon as they continued along the main road towards Zora's Domain. The long rolling hills ran all around them as they continued east. Many of the common Hylian flowers populated the small concave valleys that puddles would eventually form when it rained—even if rain wasn't too common in this area.

Gilan readjusted in his seat and let out a sigh of relief as he was able to stretch for a moment. He was waiting for the moment that they would stop for lunch and rest their legs after being in a saddle all morning. He still didn't regret leaving at sunrise, but it was taking its toll on everyone by now. Even Zelda had to shift around in discomfort once in a while. The anxious air around them and their guards didn't help chill their nerves either. The tension grew with each second that their horse's hooves clopped along the dirt road. Gilan readjusted the collar of his tight doublet—wiping the sweat away.

Gilan knew how much danger he was in. At the start of the day, he'd been compliant to his own idea and went along with the act right away. But now, deep down he wished he had come up with something better. There could be any number of eyes on them at this very moment, along with just as many archers. When bandits attacked, they would strike from the shadows first, taking out high priority targets to disrupt the chain of command and confuse the caravan. Then they would simply hunt down the remaining guards and/or civilians as they turned circles trying to figure out what was going on. Of course, the royal guards would be ready to act immediately, not falling for that basic tactic like so many before them. But the flaw in their plan was Gilan; they wouldn't know where the attackers were until they were shot at and the first arrow already had a painted target.

Gilan gave himself a nervous smile, knowing he had chosen the dark red aesthetic for a reason. It would hide he blood if he were to be hit. He could take the pain and act as if he were fine to inspire confidence in his troop. Actually, Gilan was highly regarded for his pain tolerance. There were many times when he had been struck very harshly in training but continued as if nothing had happened. He was confident that he could take an arrow or even a dagger with only a couple seconds to recover from the shock. He had to make it appear as if he was unscathed to ensure that their soldiers would focus on the princess instead of him. Only after the battle would he let anyone care to his wounds—as long as the princess is cared to first, obviously.

His nervous smile lingered for a second as he glanced around again, expecting to see an arrow flying towards them. He didn't see one, but he still expected it. Any second his life could end without him being aware. He shook his head and took a deep breath, knowing that this is the right thing to do. If he were to die, it would be to prevent someone else's death.

Zelda studied Gilan fervently as his head panned. She saw the moment of weakness inside him that passed as quickly as it had appeared. Suddenly, she wanted to coddle him; to say that everything would be fine. But she couldn't. It could just be a bad feeling but she had an undeniable feeling of dread as they travelled along the road. Although she didn't feel as if she were in danger, she constantly found herself checking her ring—to make sure she still had. For some reason it felt reassuring to know that Gilan would protect her from whatever danger that would cross her path.

Zelda sub-consciously shined the sapphire with her right hand as she looked up to Gilan. She took in a short breath, preparing to ask him what was on his mind when one of the royal guards at the front pointed ahead and spoke aloud.

"There's a group up ahead, sir."

Gilan snapped back into attention. He'd been so involved within his own thoughts and the rolling landscape around them that he'd forgotten to actually scan the road for other travellers. As he squinted, he was able to pick out a couple figures moving along the road towards them. He couldn't tell anything about them from this distance but as they got closer he'd be able to assess whether they were friend or foe. Even though they were probably basic travellers, it never hurt to be careful.

"I see them. Stay in formation and remember your roles. Zelda-"

"Yeah yeah stick close I know." Zelda mumbled as she side-shuffled her shabby brown horse closer to Gilan. He raised an eyebrow, wondering how many times he'd said that to her as they picked their way towards the Zora's.

"I know you do, but it's better to be safe. We'll be able to rest in half an hour or so because I'm pretty sure there's a pebble in my boot and I have no idea how the hell it got in there."

Gilan watched Zelda let out a short chuckle and smiled upwards to him. He matched the bright smile with a nod as he tried to lighten the gloomy mood. He always tried to crack a joke, no matter how bad, whenever possible, especially before a potential conflict. But he was trying to be as hopeful as possible that there was no battle ahead on their journey.

As they drew closer towards the group, Gilan grew suspicious of their intentions. The group wasn't actually on the main road; instead they were in a small clearing to the left. A campfire was lit in the centre as the travellers crowded around it trying to get their hands on the two cucco's slowly roasting above it. The fat dripped off of it as it turned, sizzling as the droplets hit the flames. The cook was careful to not let the fire touch the meat directly, but instead let it roast slowly. Gilan's mouth watered as the scent wafted over them—as did Zelda's.

Many of the members that weren't around the fire groomed their horses or dug out small rocks that had gotten into their hooves. Others sat down in groups playing cards and making small bets in an attempt to gain some money from their comrades. Everyone there was dressed just like the royal guards with the tattered and stained clothing. Gilan even frowned as he saw one man taking a leak partway behind a tree on the far end of the clearing.

To the caravan, it looked like some travellers that had sat down for lunch before getting up to make their way along the road again. Of course they all saw the swords hung at their hips but it was common for travellers to bring some protection. The royal guards had scanned over the group originally, but when they were content that there was no danger they didn't pay as close attention; but Gilan knew that something was off.

Zelda looked up to Gilan asking, "Why don't we stop here and eat with them?"

Gilan scanned the group again. There were at least seven of them while his own troop only consisted of five, including himself. They'd be heavily outnumbered if the other group were to suddenly become hostile. Gilan squinted at them, knowing they were still out of earshot. "Because we don't know if they're friendly or not. It's better to go further ahead and camp alone."

"Oh come on, don't be so cynical. Not everyone is out to get us you know."

"You say that now but I guarantee you'll regret it. I have trust issues for a reason, Zelda."

"Then learn to trust!"

"How about you trust _me_? Something isn't right about this group." Gilan glared at Zelda as he spoke.

She ignored the soul-piercing gaze with a simple flick of her hair. She spoke again, wanting to know why he was so untrustworthy of them. "What is it that _isn't right_ about them?"

Gilan frowned and looked back to the group. It wasn't too late to go around yet. He grit his teeth as he tried to fit the puzzle together on the aspects of this new group. Something was wrong here; one of the details went against all the others. Something told him that they've been waiting for a while now and would continue to for most of the day. There was only one reason that travellers would be waiting by the side of the road; they were waiting for other travellers.

Gilan had suspicions that these men were dangerous, but he had no proof. If he were to try and explain to Zelda, he wouldn't have nearly enough time and he probably wouldn't even make any sense to her. If he was able to pinpoint exactly why he instinctively disliked these men, then he'd be able to convince her otherwise.

He sighed and looked down slightly saying, "I can't explain why, but I say we stop and go around. Avoid them completely."

"And waste time when they could be a couple of fresh, friendly faces?"

"I know it's not quick but-"

"Gilan, I am okay with not stopping here but I don't want to waste time picking through the brambles. If we're lucky they'll even offer us some food and let us camp with them for lunch."

"Fine," Gilan practically hissed his response, "But one ill-intention and we are out of there."

"Deal." Zelda said with a smirk, knowing she had gotten her way. Gilan bit his tongue as he thought to himself. He could reach down and grab Zelda's reins from her, forcing her horse to ride directly alongside his; then he and their royal guards could race past the group and refuse to stop. He shook the idea out of his head knowing that Zelda would hate him for it and that she wouldn't trust him for the rest of the trip—he needed her trust if she were to live.

Zelda felt the tension in the air rise suddenly as Gilan's breathing calmed. She never knew how he and Link were able to be so calm in the face of danger, if there even were any. She didn't feel that these men were dangerous but it was obvious that Gilan did. But she was bored and almost wanted to talk to some strangers just to liven up her day. She still didn't believe these men were enemies. They looked friendly enough and she could even hear laughing around the campfire. They looked dynamic, working together in a synergy she hadn't expected as they went about their daily task. The fire and slow-roasting cucco's made her want to stop and mingle with these passerby's. Even if she were supposed to hide her identity, she wouldn't mind sitting down around a couple of outgoing faces.

But even as she thought this, Gilan drew his back straight and raised his chin in an exalted manner that made the hairs on the back of her neck rise. They'd passed by countless travellers along the road already and she'd never seen Gilan so sure of danger. His eyes were riveted on the camp as his fingertips brushed the pommel of his sword tied to the right of his saddle. Zelda gulped down her sudden fear and sidled up to Gilan as the tension grew again. She brushed her fingertips over the ring again, feeling inexplicable warmth from it now. Her fear was forced into the deepest parts of her mind as she refused to acknowledge it. She believed these people were as friendly as all the other travellers they'd come across and not even Hylia herself could convince Zelda otherwise.

Zelda took a sharp intake of breath as the two guards at the front suddenly came to a dead halt right as they were about to pass the camp. A shout came from in front of them saying, "Woah! Watch out!"

Gilan and Zelda stopped just as quickly so that their horses wouldn't collide with the two in front of them; the one guard in the back did likewise. Members from the camp all suddenly looked over at the same time. Many of them moved closer towards the sudden disturbance on the road that had interrupted their tasks.

Gilan spoke with a note of displeasure in his voice, "What is the meaning of this? Why have we stopped?"

A short man wearing an overcoat that was one size too big for him stepped out from in front of their horses. He had peach fuzz along his jaw and short brown hair that was parted to one side. He wore standard clothes—nothing fancy but enough to shield him from the elements. A grey shirt, black overcoat and brown baggy pants that gave off the impression that he was poor, but still tried to look mediocre in wealth. Gilan was the only one of the group that saw the dagger and shortsword sheathes clipped onto his belt. He held his hands out in front of him to make sure that the horses didn't trample him. He let out a sigh and dusted himself off, content that the danger was gone.

"Sorry sir, I didn't hear you coming and stepped out of the woods blindly. Thank Hylia that you all stopped in time."

Gilan's expression didn't move as he spoke with contempt, "an honest mistake. Now get moving."

"Hold on!" A burly man from the camp called out to the caravan before they could leave. He had spots of grease on his shirt as his stomach bulged slightly outwards. Zelda and Gilan both recognized him as the man that had been turning the roast. He had a large build, was quite tall and had a bald spot appearing on the top of his head. His cheeks dropped ever so slightly as his double chin jiggled whenever he spoke. His words were slightly slurred from either a lisp or too much saliva in his mouth. "Why are you in such a rush?"

Gilan barely turned his head as he fabricated a lie on the spot. "Because me and my wife, Hope, have to be getting to Zora's Domain so that we can coalesce with others to make a larger caravan." Zelda looked up at Gilan in surprise. They'd never spoken about giving her a fake name yet alone what it would be. Although she did like the name Hope, it came a bit as a surprise; but she should have expected to have a different name as they attempted to hide her identity. Zelda jumped out of her thoughts as someone spoke to them.

"Zora's Domain?" The short one spoke again, "that's at least a day's ride. You mustn't have had lunch yet! I'm sure Rorsch can whip something up for you real quick."

The plump fellow, presumably Rorsch, chipped in immediately. "Right you are, Fitz. Been a while since we've met any friendly faces on the road, even harder to find ones that talk. You seem like a man that needs to relieve some stress; come on and sit down, have a bite with us."

Zelda looked up expectantly at Gilan with a grin on her face. She knew that these people would be friendly. She smiled, knowing that she had been right the entire time. These men were just a band of misfits that were wandering the land of Hyrule. Surely the conversation with them would be better than with any of the guards.

Gilan squinted as he scanned over the camping group again. Alarm bells rang in his head, telling him it was a trap. He grumbled to himself for a moment, not knowing exactly what to do. He made up his mind; they should avoid this group. The chef, who was possibly the leader, along with the young man that had stumbled out of the trees were already getting too close. He didn't care about angering Zelda anymore—as long as she was safe. Gilan had just opened his mouth to tell his guards to ride forward when Zelda interrupted him.

"We'd love to." She said optimistically. She was always quick to see the good in people and because of this she often saw altruism in a deceitful smile. Zelda had made up her mind on their alignment the second she saw the campers. They were friendly—she was certain of it.

Zelda frowned slightly as both Rorsch and Fitz ignored her while the other campers inched closer. Their eyes were riveted on Gilan as they awaited the answer from the obvious leader of a group. Everyone knew that a merchant's wife doesn't actually have any power in a caravan—they were usually there to keep their husband entertained on his travels.

Gilan exhaled slowly through his nostrils as Zelda foiled his unspoken plan. He looked to Zelda with a spark of annoyance as she met his gaze for a second. Gilan suddenly snapped his head towards Rorsch, "Why should we trust you? Because right now I don't."

The man chuckled softly, his stomach undulating as he did so. He wiped his right hand on his apron and extended it to Zelda saying, "Trust us because we're going to be the ones feeding you. A merchant like you should know how expensive rations can get."

As he extended his hand to help Zelda off her horse, Gilan's last sliver of trust was dashed. He had noticed how the armed group was getting constantly closer to the caravan with the main focus being on the couple in the middle. At this point, if any of them were to grab him, or more importantly Zelda, their guards wouldn't be able to do anything about it in time.

Gilan grit his teeth and reached for Zelda before she could grab Rorsch's hand. But he was a second too late as her hand slipped into the chef's and he embraced it with a very tight grip. As soon as he had a hold on her, the fat man pulled back as hard as he physically could. By using his weight to his advantage, Zelda slipped out of her saddle awkwardly towards him with a yelp of surprise.

As she fell helplessly, it suddenly clicked in Gilan's mind what was wrong about the group—the reason he would have been able to give Zelda and avoided this whole situation. _The roast._ If they were slow roasting it that means it had been there for a while before they arrived and would continue to cook well after they left. That means if these _travellers_ wanted to eat it, they'd have to stay for a considerable amount of time. It also gave them a good excuse to be alongside the road as they waited for travellers to come by that they could rob.

As he realized that his paranoid fears had come real, Gilan knew he was too late. He heard the familiar sounds of steel on leather as every single bandit drew their weapons as they were close enough to surround the entire caravan now. The royal guards all moved as one to draw their own swords; but the bandits had the initiative and held their swords up—poised to thrust at anyone who moved.

Before Gilan could even fathom about grabbing his sword, there was a flash of steel as Fitz dashed towards him. A small knife, maybe only three inches in length was in Fitz left hand. A grin of bloodlust had taken over his previously benevolent expression as he held a shortsword in his other hand. The small knife flicked vertically upwards and directly into the palm of Gilan's currently outstretched hand as he had reached for Zelda. Gilan let out a grunt of pain as his eyes met Fitz's. A spark of madness was now apparent in the runt's eyes as Gilan gripped his left wrist with his right hand as pain burst forth from his palm. As Gilan took a moment to recover from the shock and to force the pain out of his mind, Fitz took the advantage.

As Gilan blinked a tear or two out of his eyes, he saw that a shortsword held by Fitz was now pointed upwards at him, the razor-sharp tip only a centimetre away from his abdomen. He knew that with a simple thrust up, Fitz could kill him by slicing his heart in two without having to go through his ribs. Gilan squinted angrily at the maniacal grin in front of him as the notion of pain fleeted from his mind.

"Any of you move, and the couple dies." Gilan heard Rorsch speak with a threatening undertone. His heart sank as he looked over to see Zelda lying flat on her back. Rorsch's dirt covered boot was pressed down on her waist as his longsword was angled downwards with the point towards her throat. A look of sudden terror and surprise was still lingering on her face as she realized these people were in fact hostile and that her guards weren't able to help her. In fact, they were all completely surrounded and every single one of the bandits had a blade poised to strike separate royal guards if they were to move.

Gilan let out a sigh of disappointment as Zelda looked up with pleading eyes. She was too scared to speak—too surprised by the suddenly malicious faces around them. Gilan wasn't scared; if anything his mind is always clearer when he's supposed to be scared. He ignored the crazed smile of a lunatic directly in front of him as he held Zelda's gaze without wavering. He grit his teeth and refused to acknowledge the pain that emanated from his hand as he spoke to Zelda.

" _This_ is why I have trust issues."


	25. The Welcome Party

"Home sweet home." Rorsch sighed after taking a deep breath of fresh air.

Gilan set his feet onto the dry ground to get himself out of the thick, swampy water. The muscles in his thighs and calves cried out to him for a brief rest as they finished their gruelling trek.

Zelda, the guards and himself had all been forced into a ten-minute walk deep into the woods through what felt like maple syrup after their capture. The forest was more like a bog with the amount of knee-high mud that was around. Hidden vines and roots of trees were all too abundant in the bottom of the mud—easily tripping anyone that was unlucky enough to find one. To avoid them, they all had to raise their knees, and subsequently their feet, much higher when taking a step which only served to drain their energy quicker. Their feet weren't able to lift free from the mud very easily so the captives, and bandits alike, had to trudge their legs through the thick liquid. It sapped Gilan's energy almost immediately and only got worse the more they travelled.

It didn't help either that their hands were bound the second they'd dismounted their horses—which were still in the clearing beside the road. If someone were to fall, it would have been hell to get back up without help. Luckily, no one had tripped as their boots and socks became saturated with muck. Although it made sense for the bandits to choose a holding area with such rough terrain, it was still a pain in the ass. Gilan had been tempted to constantly pester their captors out of spite but had decided to keep his mouth shut lest they decide to punish everyone instead of just him. Angering his tormentors probably wasn't a good idea anyway.

They'd stayed mostly silent throughout the walk. The strain from moving through the sludge was enough to keep them quiet. But not only had the prisoners suffered, but the bandits had also struggled too as sticky vines draped down from branches and stuck onto anyone who got too close. Unfortunately, they knew their way along the memorized route to the holding place and had avoided the dangers.

The trees thinned out as the ground began to grow harder underneath their feet. The ground sloped upwards and the level of water dropped. Eventually, the ground was cracked with dry clay and was devoid of life as they entered a new clearing. It was a semi-circle with some tents on the closer end that undoubtedly housed the bandits. The tents themselves were made out of thin cloth and billowed whenever a breeze drifted through the loose flaps on one end; they didn't look like much protection against the elements even if the flaps were to be tied together. Several of the bandits stretched their stiff calf muscles and tried vainly to wipe off the slime that had collected on their boots before walking towards separate tents.

Zelda stayed silent with her hood drawn up and close around her head. Her golden hair stayed hidden as she refused to speak out of shame. She barely saw their surroundings as she kept her eyes riveted on her feet. She didn't even hear Rorsch as he clapped a hand onto the shoulder of a nearby camper.

"You and Fitz are coming with me to show our guests their new home." The bandit didn't bother trying to refuse and simply acquiesced with a groan. He began to move behind the captives as his feet dragged slightly along the ground—the mud weighing them down. Rorsch moved ahead of the group and began walking towards the opposite end of the clearing with Fitz following a step behind.

As Gilan was roughly shoved forward again, he began to see more of the clearing. It was more oval shaped and longer than he had originally thought. There was a large open area to his left, opposite of the tents. The ground was bare with only a couple weeks poking up through the barren land—surviving on a bare minimum of nutrients. The tents that they'd first seen only occupied maybe a quarter of the open area. A couples unlit campfires could be spotted set up closer to the trees; they most likely served as a general area of R&R for the bandits after their treks back and forth through this Hylia-forsaken forest.

There was a hole in the thick canopy of branches above them. It was just above the centre of the clearing where trees weren't quite to reach yet to blot out the sun. It seemed brighter than usual now after not having seen it for ten minutes. Although Gilan wasn't able to see the sun directly, he could see the pillar of light from it as it washed down onto the campers. The bright golden light brought his morale up slightly after the debilitating expedition they'd all just made. However, what comfort he had was dashed as he looked down to see where Rorsch was leading them.

The prisoners were marched in front of a partially collapsed cabin that was being overgrown by a neighbouring tree. Vines crawled along its walls and dangled off of the windowsills. The far right corner of the building was completely fallen in, leaving a gap where the roof should be. It was an older designed building made with horizontally placed logs for walls that intersected at the corners. The door didn't even look like it would open with the amount of moss that clung onto the flat surface, but it opened anyways as Fitz threw the door open aggressively. He looked back to the captives with an expectant stare.

"This doesn't look like a home at all," Gilan muttered with a frown.

"It's not supposed to. Now get in," Rorsch forcefully galvanized Gilan by placing a hand on his back and roughly shoving him forward.

Gilan grunted at the sudden force and stumbled forward a couple steps. He was able to stop a foot from the door as he glanced back at Rorsch angrily—losing control over his emotions for a moment. Their eyes locked together and stayed locked for a couple seconds, but that was long enough for them to read each other.

An old legend says that someone's true intentions and feelings can be read through their eyes; it was if their pupils were a gateway directly into their soul. A thousand doors all in a linear line, each with their own message lies within coloured irises—doors that could all fly open at once. It doesn't matter who someone is on the outside as their eyes give away more than they'd ever know. It's the reason that many people can't maintain eye contact while lying; it's the reason that people can get lost in their significant others eyes—they aren't just simply looking at their eyes. It's the same reason fear pierced Rorsch's heart for the first time in a year.

Gilan's had managed to maintain his merchant façade perfectly. He'd kept a constant look of contempt on his brows and a slur of ignorance in his words. He made it appear as if he was completely unconcerned for his safety because he had the money to bail them out. He even exaggerated the pain in his left hand as the improvised bandages continued to become drenched in blood. But in the end, it was only a facade—something that didn't go past the eyes.

For a split second, Rorsch saw the real man that Gilan was: He was a fierce competitor who aspires to be the best at anything he attempts within reason. He was a calculator, one that doesn't take risks without properly evaluating every factor involved. He planned every single step in his life so that he could predict what would come after a certain distance. Gilan was someone who wasn't to be trifled with, yet his eyes were fuelled by fury. Rorsch could see the pure hatred directed at him as Gilan glared. It was so intense from a man that Rorsch had believed to be weak and incompetent that it actually scared him.

Then it was gone.

The fire that was in Gilan's eyes disappeared as he regained control of his emotions. Rorsch blinked, trying to ascertain whether he had imagined the look Gilan had given him or not. It was so quick and out of character that it wouldn't be out of the question that Rorsch had just seen it wrong; but the intensity, the verisimilitude of it was so definitive that Rorsch didn't know what he'd seen anymore.

Shaken from what he'd seen, Rorsch turned towards the other captives so that he didn't have to risk gazing into Gilan's eyes again. He saw Zelda in front of the other guards and stepped forward towards her with an outstretched hand—about to push her forward as he'd done to Gilan.

"Touch her and you'll lose your hand."

Rorsch froze upon hearing Gilan's stern voice. On his first instinct, he wanted to whip around and curse at Gilan harshly; but Rorsch hesitated, not wanting to look at Gilan. Rorsch was afraid of having to gaze back into those eyes again—to look into the soul of a man that wanted to kill him. Although it was an irrational fear that gripped his heart and he knew that his prisoner was simply a merchant, something irked him.

"I'd like to see you try." Rorsch spoke without a glance nor a hand on Zelda, "I'd put you six feet under." Rorsch grinned as he attempted to retain his dignity as he acquiesced to Gilan. He motioned his hand forward towards the broken down cabin as a signal for everyone to get inside.

The royal guards all followed Zelda as she shuffled inside the prison after Gilan. The air was musty and dank, almost making him choke the second he stepped inside. It was dark in there with the only source of light being a candle in a metal case hammered into the far wall. The room itself was about fifteen feet by twenty as Gilan looked around. Their footsteps bounced and echoed off the walls, amplifying the sound as everyone stopped. Gilan turned back to Fitz just in time to see the door slam shut—cutting them off from freedom.

The rubble-ridden floor disappeared into darkness as even more of the sunlight was denied entry. It took Gilan's eyes a couple minutes to readjust to the new level of brightness. It felt darker in the room than it should as Gilan tried to look around. Their guards were unnervingly calm while in this hostage situation; they didn't complain and stayed silently compliant to any requests their captors had. Although it may look like they are too scared to act, it's actually their training that is keeping their nerves subdued—it's always safe to stay calm during a hostage situation. The guards were content with sighs of discomfort from their rope-bound hands as they sat leaning against one of the walls.

"How long do you think till they want to make an offer?" the youngest of the three asked.

"Does it matter?" Zelda said as she kneeled in the centre of the room with her head down, "we're in here because of me."

Zelda was in dismay at their situation. She felt a heavyweight within her guilty conscience that made it difficult to lift her feet yet alone her head. She was glad to have a hood—not to protect her identity but more so to hide her face. She could imagine the stares everyone was giving her as they had trudged through the swamp. Red hot beams that made the hairs on the back of her neck rise uncomfortably. A rock sat in her stomach as she knew that this whole situation was her fault and she had no way of solving it without revealing her identity which would only make everything worse. She fought back tears of failure, knowing the danger she had put everyone in.

Gilan bit his tongue as he looked back to the guard that had spoken; their eyes were wide in surprise at the first words Zelda had spoken since their capture. He shut his mouth and turned his head away, not knowing how to answer without inadvertently causing offence.

"Don't blame yourself, Zelda, we all made mistakes back there." Gilan attempted to speak reassuringly to Zelda as he stepped towards her. She didn't even look up at him as he sat down beside her with his legs crossed.

"I thought my name was Hope."

Gilan sighed as he realized he'd let slip of her name. He prayed to Hylia that no guard outside of the door had heard his voice.

"Why'd you choose that name anyway? It's not a very common one." Zelda asked as she continued to wallow in self-hate. She didn't expect the sharp intake of breath from Gilan as she asked the question. He hesitated again as Zelda waited for an answer this time. Originally she'd asked just to be able to talk about something to take her mind off of her own failures. She knew now that she should have trusted Gilan; he was insistent that they pass this group without a nod in their direction but she overruled his judgement. She wanted to speak to a couple fresh faces out of pure boredom—now they were trapped as Rorsch decided how to get the most payment out of them.

Zelda blinked a singular tear out of an eye as Gilan spoke with a suddenly defensive tone, "it's… it's personal."

Zelda's interest was piqued instantly. Gilan had never had a reason to hide information from her until now. Her frame of mind immediately shifted towards one of intrigue instead of disgrace.

Zelda looked up slightly to Gilan, her neck muscles suddenly cramping after having looked down for so long. She saw an embarrassed look in his eyes as he looked down at her, but they softened as soon as their gaze connected. Gilan let out a sigh, knowing he would have to tell her now that she knew he didn't want to. He glanced up at the guards, knowing they'll hear every single one of his words.

Zelda's fingers slowly caressed the ring around her finger as Gilan took in a breath to speak. She still felt miserable but some kind of story to take her mind off their current situation would help.

"I come from a lineage of longtime planners." Gilan looked down at Zelda—still debating whether he wanted her to know. He saw the silent plead and misery in her eyes and knew he had to say something so it may as well be the truth. "My father had always wanted to own and run a stable with my mother. He always knew what kind of job he wanted and what kind of people he needed; but I was never that good with people—I was more like my mother." Gilan saw Zelda wipe her eyes and straighten her back ever so slightly as she began to stop loathing herself as she became invested in his own story.

"My mother, Marilyn, had always wanted a family. She always told me that she had my name chosen ever since she'd met my father. She would never miss a moment to tell me that I was one of the best things to happen to them. Even when I joined the royal guard, she never lost faith in me or my choices. She was happy for whatever lifestyle I chose to live as long as I was happy."

"But what about the name, Hope? It obviously has some meaning to you." Zelda asked, more involved with this story than she'd originally thought she was.

Gilan smiled with a blush. He spoke nervously, "well as I said, I've always been more my mother's child. Hope is… Hope's the name I had wanted for my daughter."

Zelda's fingers froze on the ring as she realized what Gilan had said. The meaning of the name hit her like a wave. She'd never thought about a family in her future but she knew how emotionally involving it was for some people. Even though Gilan liked to hide his true emotions from most people, Zelda knew he was a very passionate person. She'd never realized he'd always wanted to be a father until now. Before Zelda could continue uncovering what his words meant, Gilan had more to say.

"When I needed to pick out a name for you, it was the first one that came to mind. I just acted without thinking for one of the first times in my life and it just sort of… came out…" Gilan trailed off, feeling silly about his truthful reasoning. He realized he was staring at the ground, running his hands nervously as he remembered his own past. He shook the past hopes out of his head and looked at Zelda; he was surprised by the intense stare she had on his face. She immediately turned away before their eyes met. A soft blush was growing on her face as she realized that Gilan had acted instinctively when choosing the name. As Zelda tried not to let her sudden pride burst forth, she realized something was wrong about what he'd said.

"You said it's the name you _had_ wanted, right? Why not anymore?" Zelda asked as she tilted her head towards him.

Gilan pressed his lips together tightly, turning them partly white. He hated answering so many questions about his personal life. He let out a sigh of defeat, knowing he'd already gone past the point of no return.

"Its… it's because I gave up on that dream long ago." He said painfully. Zelda bit her tongue, knowing that nothing she could say would console him. _What could destroy such a hope?_ Instead, she just pressed further, worrying she'd offend him by offering consolation.

"Why?"

"Because…" Gilan looked down to Zelda with a hint of pain behind his eyes, "because no one wants a relationship with a man who could die at any moment." Zelda blinked a couple times as she tried to piece together what he meant; but before she could work it out herself, Gilan delved further. "No one wants a husband that goes out on escort missions that could never return home. I don't blame them. I tried with a couple of nice women… but it was always the same reason. After a while of working with Link… the notion of a family just drifted away from me. This makes it even more painful for it to come back now and so suddenly without a reason."

Zelda didn't know what to say. The ring felt soothingly warm around her finger as she wanted to coddle Gilan, knowing that he was wrong about his assumptions—that he'd just found the wrong kind of women. Her heart suddenly leapt into her throat as she tried to talk to him. She shoved it back down as different emotions threatened to surface on her face as her blush started to come back. She gulped and rubbed her hands nervously together, looking up fully to Gilan. All her feelings of worthlessness fleeted just as quickly as they had arisen as Gilan finished his reasoning.

"Gil' I-" before Zelda could finish, the door to the cabin swung open. No one was expecting the violent explosion of sound as the rusted hinges screamed. The rickety planks threatened to shatter completely as Rorsch stood in the doorway—looking over his prisoners. Zelda never even saw who had thrown open the door so violently as she put her head back down; not to hide her shame this time, but instead to hide her identity.

Gilan's face changed instantly from embarrassed to contempt as his gaze shifted to Rorsch. He waddled into the room, the floorboards groaning beneath his lumbering build. Fitz followed him like a shadow while staring at everyone in the room with a fanatic smile of his face. Rorsch stopped about five feet from Gilan and Zelda and pulled up his pants that had sagged ever so slightly—they immediately sunk down to their original position.

"What to do with all of you?" Rorsch rubbed his jowl as he scanned over the guards on the far side of the room. Two extra bandits wandered into the cabin with their weapons already drawn. Rorsch ignored them as his eyes shifted laterally and stopped on Gilan and Zelda. "Especially you two."

Gilan didn't move as Rorsch dared to stare into his eyes again—searching for the man he'd only gotten a glimpse of. He still wasn't sure whether what he had seen was real or not. His gaze immediately shifted as Zelda readjusted her position under the uncomfortable stares; as she did so, the sapphire in her ring glinted in the sunlight and into the eyes of her captors.

"That'll be a first!" Fitz exclaimed while being the first to react. He moved past Rorsch and bee-lined towards Zelda—wanting the ring for himself. Zelda looked up at the sudden crescendo of footsteps. She saw Fitz standing in front of her instead of hiding behind Rorsch.

"Give me the ring," Fitz demanded like a spoiled child as he held out his hand. Zelda looked at him and immediately leaned backwards, holding her left hand close against her chest.

"Stay away from her!" Gilan shouted as he reached up to shove Fitz away. He didn't expect Fitz to have a lightning quick reaction time as the small man grabbed his injured hand—pressing his thumb into the wound. Pain immediately seared Gilan's mind as the red bandages constricted across his hand. As a subconscious reaction to the sudden painful stimuli, Gilan reared back and away from the danger.

As soon as Gilan's back hit the ground, Zelda let out a scared scream: "Gilan!"

Fitz snapped his attention back to Zelda as she was distracted looking at her injured guard. His greed didn't hesitate as Rorsch watched the ensuing bedlam with a smirk. The three guards on the far side who had stood up to help were immediately stopped when blades were thrust against their throats—waiting to move the second they did.

Fitz lunged forward, grabbing Zelda's bonded hands in front of her as his fingers scrambled for the ring she had. It was shiny—that meant valuable to him.

"Stop! No!" Zelda shouted as she was hauled partially to her feet. She pulled downwards as hard as she could with her entire body in an attempt to defend herself. She felt oddly connected to the ring she wore and that by losing it she'd be losing part of herself; but even as she fought valiantly in a tug of war for it, Fitz had the advantage of dexterity.

His hands slipped through her struggles and slowly but surely, he was able to grab a hold of her left hand with both of his. He forced her palm open and scrambled to tear the ring off of her slightly-curled finger. To Zelda, this felt more than just a struggle of greed. She felt an unspoken bond being broken as she knew she was losing this fight. Her heart cried as her bound wrists crippled her mobility. No matter how hard she tried to pull away or shove him, Fitz always had a workaround.

Zelda felt the ring slip partway off her finger. She felt a spark of despair light up inside her soul. She didn't understand it fully since she had hated the ring less than a day ago but now felt an invisible connection to it—a connection that broke her spirit as Fitz managed to wrangle it free from her.

Zelda fell backwards onto her back as Fitz admired his new piece of contraband. It was well made even if the simplistic design was appalling to him. He felt that the effort he'd just gone through wasn't even worth it as he looked at the simple band of gold with a sapphire embedded into it, but Fitz had a keen eye for when something was valuable. He quickly examined the masterful craftsmanship and seamless insertion of the jewel and knew this ring was worth much more than it originally seemed.

"I think I might actually keep this one," Fitz said as he rubbed his thumb over the jewel to shine it.

"Go ahead, it's a fake anyway." Gilan spit at him as he sat back up, nursing his injured hand.

"I've heard of that one before," Fitz spoke with a smirk, "I can see without a lens that it's real. Good try though."

"That's my boy! Always had a keen eye that one." Rorsch grinned as he straightened his back confidently. He waved a hand and the two bandits that had stopped the royal guards from moving backed off but didn't sheath their swords.

Gilan frowned, wondering if they were bluffing or not. He knew that the ring was real and he hadn't told anyone else; but as he looked at Fitz longer, he was certain that the short man knew what he was doing.

"You'd better give that back!" Zelda shouted at Fitz as he walked away from her and back to the safety Rorsch provided.

Fitz glanced back as he was responding sarcastically to Zelda, "I'll give it back over my dead bo-" Fitz had initially just looked at her out of the corner of his eye and then looked back forward, but something had caught his gaze. He cut off his own sentence and turned around to stare at her as everyone else now did. "What the hell?!"

Zelda's hood had fallen backwards, revealing her golden hair that now flowed freely. The struggle between her and Fitz must have thrown her hood back and she hadn't realized before sitting up. She looked around confused at the faces staring at her as a silence suddenly encroached upon them. She still only felt the sudden loss from having her ring stolen from her and the mixed emotions of finding out it was real. Of course, she was ecstatic that, deep down, she'd been right about it all along; but the quick motion of events was making it hard for her to work through the surge of emotions within her. They all rushed at her like waves against a dam that threatened to burst as she tried to figure out why everyone was staring at her.

"P-princess Zelda?!" Rorsch exclaimed, barely believing his own words. There wasn't a possibility in his mind where he had seen himself holding the princess of Hyrule prisoner, yet here she was before him. The golden hair was a trait sole to her and was undeniably glowing ever so slightly as her annoyance rose. Rorsch knew of her powers but wasn't worried about them as they only affected creatures of Ganon—she couldn't hurt him even if she tried. As Rorsch tried to work through the gravity of this situation, all the bandits stayed riveted on Zelda in surprise.

Zelda suddenly felt very small. The dumbstruck faces around her made her feel inferior as Rorsch spoke her true name. She knew her cover was blown—another mistake to add to her list of disappointments. She looked around as all the bandits' jaws threatened to strike the ground. Their eyes bulged as the potential of what sat in front of them began to sink in. They glanced at each other and back to her, wondering if everyone else was seeing what they were.

Zelda suddenly realized how much worse their predicament was; regicide was a possibility now that she was being held hostage. The claws of dread stroked her heart—sending chills down her spine. The staring gazes felt like red hot lasers against her face as she sidled away from them instinctively. Zelda looked to her left and saw Gilan on the ground with her; he was the only person in the room not gawking at her. A sudden need for protection came over Zelda as she laid eyes on Gilan. He was her sworn personal guard; if anyone could get them out of this situation it was him.

Zelda crawled as quickly as she could to her protector, latching onto his arm and pulling herself behind him. Gilan didn't even move as Zelda attempted to shield herself from the sudden spotlight. She motioned to comfort herself with the ring she wore before remembering Fitz had taken it from her. She saw it still gleaming in his hands as his eyes tried to connect with hers. A feeling of panic rose in her system as everything about their plans collapsed. She slouched even further down putting her hands on Gilan's waist to make sure he didn't get up away from her. Getting to Zora's domain was the last thing on her mind right now.

"Well, this is… unexpected." Rorsch spoke with a confused expression on his face. His brows were furled in thought. He knew the options that lay ahead of them now. They were just simple bandits looking for any kind of turnover and now they had the princess who had been right in front of them the entire time.

"What are we waiting for? Let's get her!" Fitz exclaimed and took a step towards Gilan whilst reaching for his dagger; that is until Rorsch stepped forward ever so slightly faster and roughly grabbed Fitz wrist. He pulled back, forcing the runt to stumble backwards and away from his quarry.

"Don't touch her! The king will have our heads if she's injured yet alone pay us for her safe travel home." Rorsch turned Fitz so he could stare directly into his eyes, "get those ideas out of your head for once in your life and think about the profit we can make from this."

Fitz was disappointed as he glanced towards Gilan who was currently shielding Zelda from the stares. The insatiable hunger within him slowly died down as reason replaced the gap it left. The stout figure sheathed his dagger and pushed Rorsch's hands off of him as he backed off—still keeping his prey in sight.

"So if she managed to hide her identity," Rorsch stroked his double chin as he slowly turned to Gilan, "then who are you?"

Rorsch now knew that everyone they held prisoner was related to the royal family either by blood or allegiance. The three armed guards on the far wall seemed inconsequential in their meaning—they are just guards, but Gilan was something else. He was able to hide Zelda's identity for so long without anyone suspecting a thing. If he was able to hide gold with only a tarp, what was he hiding beneath his own covers? Rorsch studied him for a second. He remembered the way Gilan acted along the route towards their home base. He seemed to be in pain from the wound that Fitz had given him but Rorsch wasn't sure if that was even real anymore. At the moment, Gilan seemed un-phased by the attention he was now getting as Zelda peeked around from behind him. He was obviously close to her—or maybe it was more vice versa. Either way, they were closer with each other than the guards. The way Zelda naturally went to him as her first instinct and how he would consistently take the attention away from her. Although all his actions would be expected by a personal guard, his passion for her protection almost scared Rorsch.

As Rorsch continued to study them, the idea of Gilan being Zelda's new personal guard hovered just above his head—out of reach. Gilan had posed as the head of the caravan, wearing extravagant clothing that no guard could ever afford in his lifetime. He had been injured in their first confrontation and hadn't made a single move against any of his captors yet. Rorsch was sure if he was skilled enough he would have tried to escape already—but he has yet to try. Rorsch noticed the slight curling of Zelda's fingers on Gilan's torso as she waited for a verdict. Rorsch grinned to himself as he remembered their cover story of a married couple. Gilan wasn't a guard, he was a lover; of this Rorsch was positive.

As the idea filtered into Rorsch's head, he had no prospect of how wrong he was. He never was the brightest in the bunch when it came to reading evidence and contextual clues and it would be his downfall as he looked with sudden contempt at Gilan. The borderline obese man stood up straight and spoke with a renewed confidence, "actually I know exactly what you are."

"What would that be?" Gilan calmly asked Rorsch with his previous air of confidence.

Rorsch grinned as Gilan put back on his façade; although he was correct in recognizing the latter, he misinterpreted the reason to lie.

"A silver-tongued serpent with no fangs." Rorsch grinned as his lisp slurred the _s_ sounds. His eyes came to rest on Zelda's as he continued, "As for you, we will have a ransom to the crown. Then I can finally afford to live somewhere instead of poaching in a swamp. Hylia knows they can afford it." Rorsch's grin grew as he daydreamed, "we might even get a bigger opportunity if the king decides to show his face."

"You wouldn't!" Zelda cried as the fear of regicide crept back into her mind.

"Why not? Everyone would know of Rorsch, Slayer of Kings!" Rorsch stood tall as he gave himself a mock title as his aspirations grew out of proportion.

"I've got a better idea." Gilan piped up as Rorsch stood tall above him.

Zelda tightened her grip on him as she whispered, "what are you doing?!" Gilan ignored her and kept his eyes riveted on Rorsch's.

The man just smiled almost as much as Fitz behind him. "I'll humour you. What is it you have in mind?"

The royal guards looked at each other, knowing exactly what Gilan was thinking before he even spoke. Zelda took an intake of breath, fear spreading even further through her body as she heard the confident undertones in Gilan's voice.

"A duel between you and I—to the death."

Rorsch didn't react to his words at first. After a couple seconds, he simply froze in place, his smile slowly receding. That was the one thing he hadn't expected from the man he had just painted as harmless. The memory of looking into Gilan's eyes came back to him and he suddenly felt the need to decline the offer. Rorsch was a competent fighter even if his size made some maneuvers more difficult; he could put up an even fight between himself and a royal guard. He had no way of knowing that Gilan would wipe the floor with him in a proper battle. But Rorsch didn't see Gilan as a threat as he re-convinced himself of who Gilan really was—all bark and no bite.

"Alright tough shot, if I were to agree to this menial deal, what would the stakes be?"

"You can't be serious! Gilan don't do this!" Zelda pleaded as Gilan put his life forward yet again for hers. This only reinforced Rorsch's beliefs in his own theory. His overconfidence and contempt grew for Gilan as he sank lower and lower on the food chain.

Gilan turned slightly to Zelda speaking in a hushed manner so that no one else could hear them, "trust me."

Zelda shut her mouth instantly before she could rebuke. She remembered his words to her right before they'd met this group of bandits. _How about you trust me?_ He had asked her. She'd refused to trust him then and look where they were now. She hadn't known his reasoning back then but he turned out to be right. This time, she wasn't going to make the same mistake.

"Okay, just… I hope you know what you're doing." Zelda whispered her acquiescence to Gilan. Her heart lit aflame and threatened to tear itself apart as Gilan put his life on the line for her. If she hadn't made her previous mistakes, they wouldn't be here; if she'd learned to trust him in the beginning he wouldn't have to risk his own skin for her.

Gilan looked away from Zelda and back to Rorsch as he awaited a response patiently. Gilan spoke with an undeniable amount of authority and pride to his captors; "the stakes are simple," Rorsch leaned closer as did Fitz, "if I win we all go free."

Rorsch's eye twitched for just a second as his honour and morals were called into question. If he were to die in this hypothetical duel, he couldn't let them go. His party would undoubtedly be hunted down by bounty hunters afterwards if the princess were to escape. On the other side of the die, if he won he wouldn't have to worry about Gilan anymore. If anything, striking down the princess's significant other would be an arrow to their morale. He would be able to pierce the heart of all their spirits by piercing Gilan's with a sword.

Gilan continued, "And if I lose-"

"Then you die and the princess is left alone with a shattered soul; an obedient prisoner is easy to keep an eye on. Seeing the light flicker out of your eyes is enough for me." Rorsch took a step towards Gilan, casting a large shadow over him and blocking out the sunlight.

"Then it's settled," Gilan spoke whilst gazing into Rorsch's eyes with a deadpan expression. The rounded man hesitated—perplexed by the audacity of the figure sitting beneath him. Even though Gilan was at every disadvantage, he still wanted this duel to happen. Deep down Rorsch somehow knew that his injured hand wouldn't even prove to be a hindrance as he fought for his life. Not even the royal guards, who were expert fighters, tried to step in place for him—content to let him take the fight. The only person that tried to stop him was Zelda—but even then Rorsch could tell it wasn't because she lacked faith in him. Zelda knew he could win the duel but didn't want to see him have to fight, to intentionally put his life at risk.

Gilan hadn't even wavered as Rorsch loomed above him as the sun does the Gerudo desert. It was uncanny as Gilan's gaze filtered past Rorsch's eyes and into his soul. It bothered Rorsch to know that there was something about Gilan that he didn't know. Obviously, he was a competent fighter, but no one could win a duel with only one hand.

Rorsch broke eye contact with Gilan and took a half step back. He shook his head angrily at himself before looking down with a renewed flame deep inside his pupils.

"A duel it is. You have ten minutes to pick your poison." Rorsch spoke sternly to Gilan before spinning on his heels. He marched towards the open doorway, grabbing the gawking Fitz' collar as he strode past. The short man was practically dragged along with his captain as he made his way towards the soon-to-be duelling ground. The two bandits back-peddled towards the door, not taking their eyes off the captives for a second. Not even the wind stirred as they exited the building, slamming the door shut behind them.

Gilan let out the breath he was holding and released the tensions throughout his body. He felt Zelda do likewise as her hands lessened their grip on the sides of his torso. Absentmindedly tightened the bandage on his left hand as Zelda spoke out first.

"Gilan! What's wrong with you! What kind of plan is this?! You'll get yourself killed!"

Gilan didn't react to the loud voice beside his ear except for simply turning around. He had a sly grin on his face as he spoke as reassuringly as he could.

"As I told you Zelda, I came out here intending to get shot."

Zelda wanted to scream at Gilan while hugging him as hard as she could. She knew he was doing what was best for her and what would keep her safest; but that he was completely willing to have his life end while in her service froze every fiber in her body. She had cold shivers along her fingers as an unnatural heat erupted within her chest.

"You can still stop this! You don't have to fight! Please…" Zelda pleaded to Gilan, not knowing what else she could do. But his mind was immutable—he wouldn't allow her to be harmed in any way. The feelings he held for her, ones that sprung up too quickly for him to understand, made him value her life above his own. Although he was trained to put a VIP's life above his own, Gilan this was a different feeling. He had acted on impulse more in the past day than he has the last two years of his life—all because of Zelda. Although he didn't quite grip the reality of what he felt for Zelda, he knew fully well that this duel was what he needed to do.

The royal guards would have a perfect opportunity to untie their bonds while Gilan was fighting Rorsch. They'd be able to escape with Zelda or maybe even help him in some way. They didn't want to leave him behind, but absolutely would if they had to—whether Zelda wanted to or not.

Zelda knew this.

Gilan knew this.

Everyone who was sitting hostage inside the small broken down hut knew this; albeit nothing could make them any more comfortable with what lies ahead of them.

Rorsch felt the exact same way, a rock sitting firmly in his stomach. He finished strapping on a holster as he began to doubt himself again. The rounded figure looked around for someone—anyone with half a brain. Through the blinding, god-awful, sunlight his eyes laid to rest upon a nearby bandit sitting on a bench who was gluing fletches onto an arrow.

"You there!" Rorsch shouted as his voice threatened to crack. The criminal jumped, almost spilling the tub of glue beside him all over the ground. Rorsch cleared his throat as his comrade looked up at him, asking an unspoken question. Rorsch glanced back towards the hut, knowing he should be able to win this fight. _But just in case._

"If at any point he starts to win this fight," Rorsch paused to make sure the man was following along, "shoot him."


	26. Rigged Balance

**I checked this story for the exact moment it hit 10 000 views. I saw the number 9 999. Decided to check again in five minutes. Came back to 10 001 :((**

 **Anyways you guys are legends, keep it up as we near the end of this story arch before heading back to our questionably sane Link. Also, sorry for the shorter chapter, it didn't fit into the next chapter very well without having some really awkward lengths of transition that really just didn't look pretty no matter how I did it.**

* * *

"Will this plan of yours even work?" A half-blind Lizalfos spoke his mind to Dark Link. The short Hylian didn't answer as he continued to stare at a Zora that began to make their way back towards Zora's domain; the captain had seemed compliant but Dark Link had no way of knowing whether he had manipulated him correctly or not. He'd never attempted to taint the mind of a higher functioning individual before—he'd only practiced on Lizalfos before. The amount of time he had taken just staring into the Zora's eyes with both of his hands clasped over their temples almost wasn't worth it. He had let him his corruption slowly blacken his victim's mind to essentially indoctrinate them. He wasn't sure how long his hold would last or if the guard had just faked being hypnotized and was actually escaping by being compliant. Everything was hinged around the captain. Dark Link's plan has had many opportunities to fail and yet it continues to succeed. Even though Dark Link didn't believe in it, he felt as if fate were guiding him towards his quarry.

Dark Link and his commander were standing one of the plentiful cliff edges as the sun began to sink lower in the sky. Dark Link estimated they had five hours until darkness would encroach upon them. The constant wind only made the rain worse as the clouds constantly mourned for those below them. The Zora captain in their sights was on a road that led towards Zora's Domain and he was walking at a steady pace; soon he would take the river as was more suitable for a Zora.

"Time will tell her timeless story." Dark Link muttered as his bait turned a corner and disappeared out of sight. He took in a deep breath and let it out slowly—taking in a breath of the damp air for one of the last times; tonight would be his last visit in Zora's Domain whether his mission was to go smoothly or not. He would succeed or die trying; even if the latter were to happen someone else with a similar mindset would rise up to claim land in the power vacuum he would leave behind. Dark Link has left a mark on Hyrule that will never be forgotten through scars and stories from those who've witnessed path of embers.

"It's time we finish this." Dark Link spoke as his hand flitted up to graze the fletching on his last corruption-imbued arrow. He shook his head as he began to daydream on how the ending would look. Every aspect was taken into account; every calculable variable disputed and he was ready to face Link once and for all.

Dark Link ignored the ever-confused stare of his commander as he spun on his heels to walk down the hill behind them. He needed to get in position before nightfall.

* * *

 _Why? Why do I have to make the same mistakes over and over again like a broken record? Why can't I fix my own problems without someone else's help?_ _Why am I like this?_

Zelda stood in shame with her hands folded one in the other in front of her chest. The radiant sunlight barely raised her spirits as the duel between Gilan and Rorsch was set to start any minute.

Spectators lined the outside of the improvised arena as Gilan and Rorsch prepared themselves on opposite sides of the crowd. The arena itself was actually just the large open area in front of the cabin he had been previously held in; the only difference now is that there was a small trench about thirty feet in diameter dug an inch into the ground. The sounds of the forest and its inhabitants was deafening as Gilan strapped on a belt that held the holster to his longsword on his hip. Zelda could barely hear anything above the sound of her own heartbeat; the sound only grew as she looked over to see Rorsch tightening the straps on his vambraces. It worried Zelda that Gilan didn't have an ounce of armour while Rorsch chose to wear chainmail with shin and forearm guards with gauntlets along with a metal helmet.

They had been in the broken down cottage for only ten minutes before being marched out into the clearing. Although the bandits kept a firm grip and all eyes on their prisoners at the beginning, all their attention was slowly diverting towards the fighters who were bound to start soon. Gilan and Rorsch were both given five minutes to prepare themselves in preparation. They were two minutes Utes through their preparations as Zelda blinked the sun out of her eyes.

Zelda rubbed her hands nervously together as everyone moved around them, pacing in place while waiting. The bandits were ecstatic, knowing that this fight was going to be one of the bloodiest they'd ever witness no matter who won. The three guards stayed by Zelda's side and kept anyone else from pushing too close. Although they were still prisoners, the attention of their captors was mostly diverted. The malodorous unwashed bodies that loitered in the hot sun didn't affect Zelda as her eyes wandered back to Gilan. It wasn't that he'd chosen not to wear armour, he just wasn't allowed to. Although Rorsch agreed to a duel, this was by no means fair. The balance was tipped heavily towards Gilan's demise which only scared her more.

"You don't have to play the part of a married couple anymore you know." The one female guard spoke to Zelda out of the blue.

"What?" Zelda looked to her in immediate pensiveness as she realized how cramped her hands were beginning to become.

"You're staring at him like all the maids at Hyrule castle do." The guard let out a broad smile as if her boss wasn't about to risk his life.

Zelda didn't respond as she glanced timidly back to Gilan as he wiped his hands on his torso to dry the cold sweat off of them. She felt suddenly jealous as she envisioned the staff of Hyrule castle gawking at Gilan as he went about his daily routines. Zelda shook her head, knowing that Gilan wouldn't sleep around like most of the guards at the castle. Even though he was the one who wanted a family most, he wasn't able to find someone right for him. Gilan wanted someone he could grow up with—not a one night stand. Zelda looked back to the guard and was about to refute but wasn't even given a chance.

"Don't try to deny it. When we get out of this, know that he looks at you the exact same way. The good thing about being a bodyguard is that you can get a good read on your companions. Yet while he was supposed to be watching the road, he's been watching you and vice a versa. This isn't just an in-the-moment lust, is it?" The guard asked while leaning in slightly.

Zelda immediately perked up as she was called out about her feelings. To be fair, she had been struggling with hiding what she felt for Gilan even though she barely understood it herself. "W-what? It's not that, not at all! I just… I don't know what it is anymore. My mind just can't make itself up."

"Because every time you see him, your mind goes blank and everything else around you doesn't matter." The guard smiled to Zelda reassuringly.

Zelda was about to instinctively refuse but stopped herself just in time. She sighed audibly, knowing that she was right. "yeah, you got it perfectly."

"Just try not to ruin it. He's never experienced love and feels the exact same way you do—confused." The guard looked away from Zelda and back to Gilan, denoting the end of the conversation.

Zelda flinched at the word "love"; she'd never used that to describe what she felt deep down but now that she thought about it, love was a perfect description. She'd never experienced an attraction to someone like this—not even in her jealousy as Link found his love. It made more sense as Zelda delved deeper. That's why she was so attached to the ring Gilan had given her; not only was it a beautiful gift from him, it represented something she'd wanted all her life—a family. A loving husband with one a half kids sometime in her life was exactly what her spirit wished for. Her entire life up to this point was in preparation for the calamity and that was over now. Zelda didn't know what was next and now that she rediscovered the definition of love, she felt as if she knew the next step in her life. She wanted to take a step with someone, and Gilan was the one person that she had gotten closer to quicker than anyone before in her life. She felt oddly close to him all of a sudden but it felt natural—she knew what she wanted.

Zelda's faith grew as the sunlight felt brighter on her face now. She no longer felt embarrassed to stare at Gilan or that it was wrong; it was completely normal to her now as she knew what it was that had sat like an anchor on her chest. She felt prouder of herself and Gilan than she ever had before. In fact, Zelda had almost forgotten what it was like to have faith in herself until the calamity; she has been slowly relearning the subject, until now as her pride rose like a tidal wave above a dinghy. Everyone used to refer to her as "the heir to nothing" and many still did, but now she felt prouder than ever as she realized that someone was actually interested in her. Everything felt so unnatural yet comfortable as she scanned Gilan, soaking in his features selfishly for the first time—Indulgence is a candy offered only to the lucky.

"I'll be okay," Gilan lied to himself as he looked to Zelda. Something seemed different in the way she looked at him. Instead of looking away nervously as she normally would, her eyes connected to his with ease. They had a warmth inside of them that immediately raised his spirits. It scared him how easily his heart swayed as he gazed into divinity. The golden sunlight only illuminated her hair and it looked as if it were glowing. The oddly angelic look perfectly accentuated her elegant posture that she always managed to hold even when under great duress. Gilan could barely see anyone else around her as his eyes were immediately drawn to everything about her. Although he still found himself falling into her eyes more than anything else.

Gilan barely saw the curt nod she gave him but definitively saw the smile. Zelda didn't smile often which only made the moment even more serene. Gilan tore his eyes away from her and he scanned Rorsch who was rolling his shoulders in a final preparation. Gilan did likewise as his anxiety slowly faded away. He was fighting for Zelda. She believed in him when she could barely believe in herself half the time; it spoke more than a thousand words to Gilan as he rested his right hand on the pommel of his sheathed sword.

"Are we ready yet?" Zelda heard Gilan call out to Rorsch. All sounds came to a mute as all eyes centred on Gilan as he held his chin high. She watched as he strode forward and into the circle. He left thin footprints in the barren ground behind him as he stopped just before the centre—staring at Rorsch. A thin trail was left behind him as his longsword brushed the ground as he walked. Not many swordsmen had the strength or skill to wield such a devastating weapon, yet Gilan's tall physique and broad shoulders provided the excellent form he would need. The sword itself was more than half his height and thicker than any weapon of war Zelda had ever seen before. It seemed even more massive than when it was on his horse as he wore it on his waist at an angle—yet it still dragged ever so slightly behind him. The pommel was a round ball of steel that connected to a leather handle. The handle itself was five concave rows that ran horizontally around the cylindrical metal with steel rods drawn as lines over the edges of the rows to separate them. The hilt was more stylish than the rest of the sword as it was a silver loftwing in the shape of a W with the head of the bird being in the middle. The wings reached outwards to finish the shape that made the blade majestic while equally practical in protecting the hands of its wielder from glancing strikes. The blade was partly showing as Gilan pulled it ever so slightly of its scabbard. It was a general, albeit thick, looking double-edged blade that had two concave valleys running down along the length of the middle on each side.

 _A perfect weapon for the perfect wielder._

Gilan stood casually with his right hand resting on his pommel and his left on his hip. Although his left-hand bandages were changed recently, red splotches were already beginning to seep through the cloth. The bleeding had slowed down but was still avidly flowing. It needed a treatment to trump the simple bandages they had to use, but for now, it was all they had. Although the pain sometimes fluttered into Gilan's mind from his injury, he doubted it would inhibit his skill with a sword. Maybe some of his reactions would be slower but they would still be faster than the average person.

Gilan stood proudly near the centre of the circle as his pride filtered back in. He took a deep breath of air as his eyes came to rest on Rorsch's. A staring contest ensued, one that the fat man lost in a mere two seconds; not because he couldn't hold the gaze, but because he turned to grab his weapons. As soon as he did, the proud looking Gilan's eyes died as he saw what his opponent was going to be wielding.

Zelda didn't know what kind of weapons were better than others but she knew the significance of what Rorsch hefted. He picked up a solid wooden club that was studded with metal on both ends that could be used as is to bash someone's skull in. However, this wasn't the purpose as one end of the weapon had a chain attached to it—one with a spiked sphere the size of a small bowling ball attached to it.

Rorsch grinned as he also reached out towards a bandit carrying a metal kite shield and had them strap it onto his left arm. The spiked ball of the flail loosely dangled on the chain as it was currently coiled around his hand. Gilan knew if he tried to block a swing from Rorsch with his sword, the ball and chain would wrap around his blade and snap it like a stalk of celery. If that were to happen, Gilan would have absolutely no chance at survival. He didn't have a shield with him since the sheer size, thickness and width of his longsword made it impossible to wield with just one hand; but Gilan knew if he had one, the flail would hit it like a battering ram. He would have to work with what he had and try to avoid the ball of death dangling from Rorsch's hand.

"Just about ready. You ready to lose this bet?" Rorsch spoke with a grin.

"I'm not losing anything today."

Zelda would have been content to look away, not willing to watch Gilan fight against such odds; but before she could, she noticed someone on the far end of the circle. A bandit was shoving through towards the front, but he was better armed than the rest. His eyes were filled with intent as he scanned Gilan and Rorsch—recognizing the fight would be starting any second. Then what Zelda noticed immediately set panic loose in her system; the bandit had a bow resting on his right shoulder, ready to be shot within a moment's notice. The man subconsciously readjusted it—showing his intent to use it. A quiver was easily seen on his back and Zelda knew instantly that it contained razor-sharp arrowheads that would shear directly through Gilan's clothing. Not only did she notice him, but another inconspicuous archer was about ten feet to her left who was adjusting the strap of his quiver. The fight was rigged.

Panic spread like a wildfire in Zelda's body as she turned to her royal guard that had commented on her feelings towards Gilan.

"They're going to shoot him!"

"I see it too, and for Hylia's sake keep your voice down!" The guard quickly hushed Zelda, looking around to make sure they weren't heard by the archers. The men didn't react to them as she turned back to Zelda while waving for the other guards to come closer. "Alright, we're gonna need a change of plan then. There are two archers set up, one close to us and one on the other end of the arena. You two," the female guard pointed to the two male royal guards, "take out the archers. You'll need to do it at the same time without putting Gilan in danger. I'll stick with the original plan and sneak Zelda out."

The original plan was actually pretty simple: They would wait for the fight to start and once all attention was subverted, Zelda and her guards would slip away as quickly and quietly as possible back to the trail. They had already untied each other's bonds Once the crowd had begun gathering—the bandits were terrible at watching their prisoners. Once they got to their horses they would be home free to ride towards Zora's Domain. The problem was that if they were seen the even one bandit, Gilan's life was most likely forfeit and they would never get through the bog fast enough to get away. However, now that Gilan's life was in danger whether they were seen or not something had to be done.

"We can't just leave him!" Zelda pleaded as she glanced back at Gilan.

"I know that, but we can't endanger you either. We'll do our best but this is a bad scenaro-"

The youngest of the three guards chipped in with a reassuring smile, "we've got his back princess. You can count on us."

Zelda hissed a little louder than she'd intended to, "You'd better."

"Fighters are you ready?!" An announcer asked.

The female guard looked to her co-workers and spoke quickly, "go now! Before they choose to end the fight early."

The two men didn't even exchange a look as they moved away from each other in opposite directions. They moved slowly and quietly in order to sneak up behind the archers. Zelda didn't watch them; instead, she had her eyes riveted on Gilan as he unsheathed his sword elegantly. He threw the scabbard to the ground as soon as the sound of steel on leather stopped ringing throughout the clearing.

The guard put a hand on Zelda's elbow—ready to guide her as they make an escape. "It's show time."

Zelda mumbled under her breath as terror crept along her spine, "This is a terrible show."


	27. Killer Facade

The fight was only seconds away from beginning. Gilan and Rorsch both stood motionless within the circle as they waited. The second they readied their weapons was the moment the fight began. The sun blazed down upon the two gladiators as their countenances opposed each other. Rorsch knew he had the advantage in this fight, his weapon giving him an incredulous amount of power behind his swings, one that would be impossible to block or even deflect. Their metal gear shined as he studied Gilan's visage, unable to see his eyes as his sockets shadowed them. Rorsch kept his maniacal grin as he tested the weight of his weapon as he and Gilan circled around each other. Rorsch was by no means a duellist, his strength has always been enough to crush his opponents under his heel and this time shouldn't be any different. To fail was to die and, more importantly, risk losing the princess. But Rorsch was still walking with wool over his eyes as more of Gilan's face was hidden in shadows as they continued to circle each other.

The sun beamed down even brighter, the clouds moving fearfully away, knowing what was to come. This was a real fight, with real weapons. Gilan knew that sparring and drills took hours upon hours while real combat only takes ten seconds. One mistake and his life could be irreversibly changed or even snuffed out like a candle. This fight could end if he didn't plan out his moves every step of the way. Even now, he and Rorsch circled each other for what was assumed to be a stare down—but not for Gilan. He was stepping easily and effortlessly as Rorsch clambered foot over foot, his large build draining his stamina before they even started. It may not be much, but Gilan used every advantage he could, and knowing the sun would be behind him soon, he would learn to read his opponent like an open book.

 _There!_ Rorsch blinked twice and squinted ever so slightly as he glanced up at the sun. Gilan acted without hesitation, the fight was already on and he still held strong with his façade; Rorsch was still convinced that Gilan was the lover of Zelda and was just a simple noble incapable of any technique with a sword. Although most nobles had basic sword training, none went to the extent to learn how to counter a flail. However, Gilan was no simple noble as his mind was exponentially more intricate than Rorsch could ever fathom; seeing its depths for a split second had terrified him earlier.

Gilan stepped forward, holding his arms vertically above him with his blade held behind his back, preparing for a brutal downward stroke. The pain in his hand flared and snaked down his arm as he held his sword tighter; however, he pushed the pain away and powered through it, refusing to falter to such a trivial feeling. He started to bring it down as Rorsch took notice and thrust his shield above him.

He waited for the blade to strike, and waited, then waited some more. After three seconds, nothing happened. Rorsch lowered his shield just enough so that his eyes peeked over the edge and he saw Gilan standing there—doing nothing. He stood idly with a sly grin as Rorsch realized what just happened. Gilan had feinted an easily predictable attack just to see his reaction.

Rorsch was a large man, not overweight as he definitely had muscle, who relied on strength and brutish qualities alone. He wasn't quick and would rarely dodge even if he had a chance. Either he didn't trust his footwork or simply wasn't able to move with the ability Gilan utilized. Gilan's mind raced as he took note of how Rorsch relied heavily on the shield, not taking any other precautions as he blinded himself to any other attacks. Rorsch also used a weapon that could swing and hit like a bulldozer but could be utilized in very little ways; that's why Gilan chose his longsword.

It was thicker, longer and heavier than most but his tall stature and naturally muscular upper body was able to condition itself easily. His weapon was much more versatile, able to use swiftness and skill rather than just brute strength. It fit perfectly with Gilan's pragmatic way of thinking, planning out every step he and his opponent will take as he stayed seven moves deep without even trying.

Now, as Gilan studied Rorsch, he was able to see further into how the man would react in certain situations. However, he didn't have enough info after just one feint, but he couldn't spend forever planning as Rorsch grit his teeth, preparing for an attack.

The stout man was tired of waiting, one of them were to die within the next minute, why bother waiting? Bloodshed is to shed someone's blood, so why does it matter whose it is as long as there is some? Either way, the audience, save the royal guards who stalked along the edges of the crowds towards their adversaries, would savour the sight.

Gilan watched as Rorsch stepped forward, establishing firm footing as he hefted the flail, swinging it horizontally. Gilan didn't have time to smirk, but he instantly recognized Rorsch's mistake; the man overstepped towards him, bounding over his eagerness. Rorsch wouldn't have proper footing to give him the leverage he needs to be able to change the direction of the ball unless a miracle occurred. However, Gilan didn't act upon this mistake, instead opting to observe Rorsch's recovery or whether he had feinted the misstep as the ball jerked forwards.

If the flail were to hit Gilan, his ribs would be pulverised as his sternum, the bone that protects the heart, would falter and splinter inwards, killing him nigh-instantly. However, Gilan is a master in the art of combat and knew the weakness of every fighting style combined with every weapon. If he were to attempt to block with his sword, no matter how thick it were, it would snap as the chain wrapped around—the ball keeping its momentum. If he were to try and duck under it, he would risk Rorsch taking another swing downwards onto his spine, crippling him before the subsequent killing blow.

Gilan knew what to do, and he was no coward in his actions. To back away from an opponent is not a show of inferiority; to think so will end the life of one with a frail masculinity. He stepped a couple feet backwards, safely out of the reach of the death ball as Rorsch grunted from the exertion. He lurched forward, expecting the ball to have stopped as it thudded into the sanded ground—pulling its master with. Gilan noted that although Rorsch kept his balance, he wasn't able to stop the force of his own weapon and stumbled for a second after the swing. Gilan hadn't been close enough to take a strike of opportunity, but now he knew that there would be no counterstrike if he were to dodge closer towards Rorsch the next time.

Zelda watched in horror, not knowing what Gilan was thinking as he stared at Rorsch. He didn't look scared; in fact he didn't look phased by emotion at all. He was completely stoic as he watched the man tug the ball off the ground and heft it up again into a ready position.

"Come on!" Zelda heard the guard hiss as she grabbed the princess' forearm, guiding her away from the crowd. "We've got a minute, tops, so let's not gawk."

The guard moved slowly, stalking around at a steady pace. She made sure her heel pressed into the ground first as she eased the rest of her body weight forward smoothly as to not make a shifting noise against the dusted ground. There weren't any twigs asking to be broken in this area so she didn't have to watch for those. Instead, her eyes were riveted on that of the bandits, who cheered vigorously for their leader. She let go of Zelda, letting her stay a foot or two behind as they crept away. Luckily, the cheering, combined with ghastly winds, covered the sound of their footsteps as they made their way towards the cabin. Once they got there, they would be able to get behind it and break line of sight, significantly improving their chances of escape and subsequent survival. Although they were going farther from the clearing where their horses were, they'd be able to loop around whilst not being seen by the enemy in doing so.

It took twenty seconds, but Zelda and the guard were able to reach the cabin without any sounds of a raised alarm-they were still cheering as metal clashed on metal. The wood smelled rotten as slimed vines encroached from all corners of the building, the three still standing that is. Zelda's heart raced, knowing that any second someone could turn around and discover their escape attempt. All it would take is a momentary glance around at the prisoners who have all dispersed by now. It seems that the promise of bloodshed was too good to pass up for the bandits as Zelda glanced back, unable to see Gilan amidst the crowd. Terror seeped into her countenance as the reality of their situation struck her like a hammer would an anvil. If anyone saw her, they would die. If Gilan failed, they would die. If the royal guards don't stop both archers or are caught, they all die. One mistake or stroke of bad fortune from Lady luck will end their paths.

Zelda tried to force away the lump in her throat, her mouth as dry as the Gerudo desert as she turned back to her guard who nudged her. "We're almost there. Be ready to get into the bog and—"

Suddenly and without any forewarning, a bandit, who Zelda instantly recognized as Fitz, stepped out from behind the corner her and her guard resided near.

In less than a second, the short, crazed man dashed out of his hiding place with a long knife in hand. He ignored the two surprised visages in front of him as he refused to hesitate, thrusting his blade upwards and under the ribs of the royal guard. She bent forward in pain, grunting from surprise as the blade pierced her body. Fitz grinned as he put a hand on her back, pulling her downwards onto the blade as he pushed it further upwards before she could scream in pain. He twisted the knife, just to be sure, as the air was forced from her.

Unfortunately, Fitz had surgeon-like precision as he pierced the guard's heart, cutting off her surprise as the light faded from her eyes, unable to have even comprehended her mistake before passing into the afterlife. As soon as he withdrew his stained blade, her lifeless corpse crumpled to the ground, partially in cover behind the corner of the building.

Zelda was about to scream in horror, but had to cover her mouth in case she alerted anyone else. Although, it was for nothing as their escape attempt had been discovered. Zelda's rational fears came true as she failed to tear her eyes away from her recently-standing bodyguard. That guard had infinite potential yet their life was wiped from the blackboard of Hyrule in only a second. It didn't feel real to Zelda, but she knew that she had led the guard here, to this moment. Her subconscious berated her conscience, already blaming her for the extinguishing of a life that had put themselves into harm's way. She knew that the guard would prefer to die rather than the princess, but it felt unnecessary and so quick that Zelda's emotions all conflicted with each other.

She'd never seen anyone die before—never seen the light behind someone's eyes dim. Of course she'd seen injuries when she was with Link and even in the clearing before Ganon had appeared but now her eyes were blinded by tears and shock. Now, she saw clearly the moment where her protector's limbs went limp and soul drifted. Zelda knew the reality of what happened and to her scientific mind, she was able to comprehend the situation. However, rational thought fleeted as her morals and terror broke through. She just witnessed something that simply shook her core and threatened to unhinge her mental hooks of stability. She knew she should feel something, but she only felt a void as she fruitlessly tried to reject the sudden motions inside her.

Her eyes shook uncontrollably while color drained from her face as Fitz moved. The reality of the situation, yet alone the death, hit her again; she got caught. Gilan would be put to death and Zelda would undoubtedly have a much harder time getting home safely—if she ever did. However, a deeper feeling of terror, one worse than a life of imprisonment, froze inside her as she looked to her guardian's murderer. Fitz held the blade towards Zelda as his jittering eyes met hers.

"What, leaving so soon? We've barely met yet."

* * *

Gilan felt like a sponge as he attempted to absorb as much information as humanly possible within a minute timespan. They were both standing at ready positions again, ready to swing at any moment. Gilan noted how Rorsch kept a similar stance, unchanging and refusing to learn from past errors.

At last, almost forty seconds into the fight, Gilan let the tip of his sword rest against the ground as he stared at Rorsch. The rounded man paused, expecting some form of deceit.

However, Gilan just spoke in a tranquil yet threatening tone, "this is your only chance to surrender; there's no shame in it. I don't kill—not unnecessarily."

Rorsch frowned, mulling over the proposal. _Is he bluffing? What if he knows he is going to lose and wants me to concede?_ Rorsch grinned as he kept his stance, "I'll never surrender." As soon as Rorsch finished speaking, Gilan could have sworn he heard a cry, a female one, reach a crescendo. It ended abruptly and never repeated so Gilan shrugged it off as his nervous mind creating hallucinations of his deepest fears.

"So be it." Gilan held up his sword again, holding it at a forty five degree angle away from his body. He slowly lifted it and let the blade come parallel to the ground. It hovered just above his left forearm as his right hand kept it pointed towards Rorsch.

The prospect of losing didn't reveal itself to Rorsch as he felt a need to close this battle. He was already beginning to tire from the constant shuffling and swinging. Sweat glistened above his eyebrows as he stared at Gilan, silently re-debating his proposal. He shook his head at himself, refusing to back down at any cost.

Gilan watched Rorsch as eagerness yet again overstepped reason as the man stepped forward. He held his right arm behind him, readying it to swing above and into Gilan's skull. Gilan felt pity and a pang of guilt for the state he was going to leave Rorsch in as he recognized the start-up of the premature strike; but he had given his ultimatum, to concede or die. Although Gilan still refused to kill without proper reason, the fight will be over nonetheless.

Gilan watched the ball move in slow motion as Rorsch heaved with all his might. The man lurched forward, sending the ball arching vertically upwards and subsequently downwards. Gilan frowned and simply jumped to the side lightly, well out of reach of the ball. Seeing Rorsch's prior actions, he knew the man could not change the direction or heft it out of the ground very easily. Because of this, Gilan raised his sword high behind his back and waited until he heard the _thud_ of the ball slamming into the ground and refusing to budge.

As it hit, Rorsch looked up in horror to see Gilan waiting to bring down his sword upon his head. The embarrassment of his missed swing slipped away as he panicked and raised his shield, shutting his eyes as he braced for impact—whilst feeling a twinge of déjà vu.

Gilan lowered his sword calmly and took a step towards Rorsch. The man looked silly, his arm outstretched holding his weapon as it held in place while he tried to cover as much of his body as possible behind his shield. However, as Gilan knew it would be, Rorsch refused to let go of his weapon and was too slow to move closer to it—leaving his arm exposed. Gilan refused to show expression as he swiftly slashed his sword against Rorsch's arm. It sliced through the chainmail and created a cut one inch deep on the inside of Rorsch's elbow—slicing through crucial tendons. Gilan, content with his incision, and ignoring the sudden cry of pain from Rorsch, turned towards the man.

Gilan stepped into him, forcing himself into Rorsch as he kept close to the man's main hand. Gilan slammed his foot down on Rorsch's foot to create a moment of weakness in the already pain-stricken opponent as he attempted to wedge his right elbow between Rorsch and the shield. It took a second of struggling, but Gilan used his leverage to force Rorsch's shield away from his body using his elbow. It was a struggle at first, but Rorsch only had one arm on the shield where as Gilan had his entire body.

As Rorsch's arm gave way, Gilan saw the terror within the man's eyes. He ignored the silent plead within them as he slashed his sword much less eloquently as before along the inside of Rorsch's shield arm at the elbow. A spurt of blood flashed as his blade struck true.

Gilan didn't bother looking at his handiwork as he used the momentum of his blade to cut the inside of the straps of the shield off as well as slash Rorsch's well protected hands. Rorsch let out a scream of pain and confusion, stepping backwards away from his suddenly relentless opponent. He let go of the flail and watched his shield fall helplessly to the ground as the straps broke. He looked up furiously at Gilan and raised his hands to strike him across the jaw. However, he was unable to bend his arms.

Gilan watched as Rorsch stepped away with a look of defiance which was overruled by confusion that settled into a deeper horror. Gilan didn't smile at his work as Rorsch stood in the centre of the circle, looking down at his blood covered arms. He moved his shoulders slightly but the movement of his arms was sickening to watch as they went from hanging limp to being hyperextended intermittently.

Gilan stood up straight and stared at Rorsch as the man realized what he'd done. By severing the tendons on the insides of his elbows, Gilan refused Rorsch the ability to bend his arms. Every other muscle functioned perfectly except he'd never be able to hold his shield properly or swing a weapon—if he had still possessed either one. Their eyes met as the true realization of who Gilan was rushed into Rorsch's head. This man was no simple noble, he was a force of nature conjured from Hylia herself—a calculating and unrelenting force able to move mountains just by studying it. He looked up in horror at the demi-god in front of him and Gilan met his eyes solemnly. Almost as if recognizing the realization of his true potential and the degradation of his façade, Gilan simply nodded grimly to Rorsch before stepping towards him.

Gilan stepped calmly towards Rorsch, who saw no use in avoiding fate, and raised one leg. He raised his arms too, lowering them quickly as he shoved his steel-toed boot forward into Rorsch's chest in order to maintain balance and deliver more force. Gilan wasn't sure whether he broke any ribs or not as the man seemed to jiggle more than shatter as the air was forced from his lungs. He slipped backwards, unable to catch himself as he landed flat on his back. Gilan straightened up as he looked down at Rorsch.

Rorsch saw no point in continuing. He knew he was unable to fight even if he wanted to. He struggled to breathe and wriggled around on his back for a moment, wallowing in self-despair and realization of his mistakes. He should have realized that anyone with the princess will have proficient skills with weapons of war and the ones closer to her tend to be more skilled. Rorsch almost wanted to let out a small smile as he finally saw the clouded idea that Gilan was her new personal guard. It made sense, if Gilan were able to read him like a book, he would have no issue being able to protect Zelda. Rorsch wanted to smile at his revelation whilst crying at his new crippling ailments. His wounds would take years to heal, if they were ever able to considering the life sentence he will receive. Suddenly Rorsch remembered his contingency plan and let out a large smile, taking a glance back up at Gilan.

Gilan held his sword casually looking down at Rorsch as he knew the fight was over. Gilan was proud of himself; he'd managed to end the day without losing a single one of his guards and having Zelda escape while he was distracting everyone. He even managed to end a battle to the death with only a few drops of blood. However, something felt off as Rorsch smiled at him. A man in pain, one with nothing left to lose, rarely has reason to smile.

Gilan's mind raced through a hundred possibilities as Rorsch showed his teeth. He knew the leader couldn't fight anymore; he was down for possibly the rest of his life. However, Gilan was still surrounded by bandits. Any one of them could be sneaking up behind him right now as he wallowed in victory like a narcissist.

Gilan spun around, looking for immediate danger as he readied his sword in a defensive stance. His eyes came to rest on a man who met his eyes nervously. Everyone else's eyes were steadied by shock as their minds tried to grip the reality of the situation—this man's was nervous and clearly had a goal for the current scenario. Gilan looked down and saw him holding an oak longbow with an arrow already nocked but undrawn. The man pulled nervously, realizing he had been caught and squared his feet, raising the bow towards Gilan.

Gilan held his breath, about to dive onto the ground in an attempt to dodge the arrow. However, he saw a flutter of movement as he recognized one of his own royal guards steal a dagger from the archer's belt and grab him from behind. Gilan watched as the guard spun the knife around the man, slicing the bowstring before it could be brought back.

The bandit panicked but was unable to act as a leg crossed in front of his and he was shoved forcibly towards the ground, only able to slow his fall. He hit the ground, about to rise again before a boot forced him back down. He looked up helplessly to Gilan to see his fellow archer already on the ground with a former-prisoner above him and a short sword poised to strike.

Gilan turned around, astonished by the simultaneous take down of his assailants by his co-workers. He mentally praised them as all the bandits looked around in confusion as Rorsch lay helplessly on the ground along with two of their best fighters. They all glanced at each other, trying to formulate an improvised attack plan against Gilan and his accomplices. However, their confidence was shattered when Gilan spun around slowly while speaking in a grim voice. "This is your only chance to surrender; there's no shame in it. Just lie on the ground and put your hands on the backs of your heads."

The shabbily dressed men looked around uncertainly. They were used to holding prisoners, not being held prisoners. After having watched their leader be bested without a sweat being broken by Gilan, along with the subsequent take down of two of their members, their moral faltered and shattered. They had no chance of winning this fight against two guards and Gilan; none of them had even drew their weapons yet. A couple seconds ago they were cheering for blood, now they were being apprehended-being galvanized into ceasing bloodshed.

One bandit, whose eyes were threatening to pop out of his skull, quickly threw himself to the ground, using his hands to hold his head against the ground. He didn't want to risk his life for this anymore; he just wanted to escape from this sudden nightmare.

One by one, each bandit lowered themselves to the ground, each motivated by the last. Gilan nor the royal guards moved until all of them rested on the ground, unable to perform any useful combat maneuvers. Even if they were to try and run, they would be caught once they started wading through the bog. They had no chance to escape lest they risk their lives, and having watched three of their members already fail, no one else ventured to try.

Gilan, after watching the last bandit fall, let himself take a breather. He turned away from Rorsch and inhaled deeply through his nose and exhaled through his mouth. He blinked his eyes a couple times as he forced the stress of the fight away. His life was no longer in danger, he was okay. _This is your job, get used to it or get out. Death happens all the time and you're just the messenger—make sure not to kill it._

Gilan smiled to himself ever so slightly. He turned as his companions began to tie the hands and feet of the bandits together. He raised an eyebrow, wondering where they had managed to find rope in this courtyard. Gilan shrugged it off, realizing they could probably just find it laying around just about anywhere.

Gilan kept his smile as he scanned the courtyard. Everything seemed to have worked out in the end. _All's well that ends well, right?_ Gilan scoffed to himself. He looked upwards at the shining sun as it radiated through the canopy of trees; nothing seemed to be able to stop it as it returned color to his face, unscrambling the wave of emotions that swept over him. Gilan gripped onto relief and forced everything else out, they were able to get back on the road. This detour would turn from a life threatening and nigh-traumatizing event into a stack of paperwork to fill out if he got to Hyrule Castle. Although, Gilan was inspired with more confidence and he was sure he'd be able to overcome any obstacle Zora's Domain could throw at them. He forced the overconfidence away before it settled in, knowing his job wasn't quite done.

Gilan shook his head, scattering the last of his fears into the wind as he retook his calculating frame of mind.

As soon as he did, Gilan looked off in the direction Zelda would have left. He wasn't sure how far she would have made it past the cabin, but he knew she was in that direction. However, the smile slipped off his face as he saw an unmoving torso and legs lying beside the cabin—a body.


	28. Abstinence

_**Alright, here's the thing. This is a disclaimer: this chapter has several implicit and even explicit sexual remarks and many may be find this chapter disturbing. Although it stays relatively clean, the threat of it may make some people, including children, upset and anxious. Please do not read this chapter if you are uncomfortable with any form of sexual threatening.**_

* * *

"Why struggle? You're only delaying the inevitable!"

"Let go!"

"Fine," Fitz chuckled criminally as he shoved Zelda forward. He held his foot in front of hers and watched her trip forward. She hit the ground flat on her stomach, unable to catch herself with her hands tied behind her back. They were inside the decrepit cabin now as Fitz forced Zelda inside. The sunlight beamed in through the open door, casting away any darkness that dared show itself. It only smelled worse on the inside, hitting like a wave as they entered.

Fitz's eyes flashed with pleasure as he recognized the potential of the situation they found themselves in. He stood tall, watching Zelda writhe around on the ground, turning to look at her captor. His smile grew as his mind dreamed, wondering how he should start. He gave up, figuring that it would come naturally to him. He had rebound Zelda's hands behind her to make sure she couldn't evade his grasp and to prevent any escape attempt.

Fitz closed the door with his foot. He didn't look back, not wanting to take his eyes off the form in front of him. The light within the room faded as the sunlight was blotted out. Only a lonely lit candle was left, casting deformed shadows across the floor and walls as it flickered in fear. He stepped towards Zelda, eagerness and lunacy obliterating his rational thought. He could still hear the crowd outside roaring for blood as the two gladiators battled.

Zelda looked up in fear. She frowned as she crawled away a couple feet from Fitz as he grinned at her, his eyes not meeting hers. She couldn't use her powers as they wouldn't actually affect Fitz unless he were controlled by Ganon. Zelda didn't sense any corruption nearby and knew she couldn't do much to fight Fitz right now. He had knives and a short sword, she had her fingers. Fitz was also faster, slimmer and defter then she was. Not to mention that her hands were also bound behind her back. Fitz could simply use his dexterity to outmaneuver whatever she attempted. If only she were as nimble as Link or strong as Daruk would she be able to easily escape Fitz.

Zelda would have to use her rational thinking and try to trick Fitz into letting her escape. However, he just continued to scan her up and down as he took a step towards her. His eyes were unwavering and oddly focused on a task as they drifted in and out. Before he got too close, Zelda spoke in hopes to stall whatever it was he had planned.

"What do you want from me?" Zelda asked as she crawled another foot away.

Fitz eyes glinted as he hissed, "you should know that a princess only ever has one gift to give." Fitz spoke slowly, advancing towards her slightly faster.

Zelda froze, realizing what it was that Fitz had said. She suddenly recognized the look in his eyes and her body went numb with the cold claws of fear. Zelda was only just coming to terms with the sudden departure of the guard, yet alone the scenario Fitz had forced her into. She was barely a hundred metres away from the rest of her guards, yet Gilan felt a million miles from her. She clung to hope as best she could, a hope that she would come out unscathed—both mentally and physically. However, her mind cracked as Fitz repulsive gaze seemed to fill the room. He was hunched over, his fingers twitching slightly as he couldn't stop himself from grinning ear to ear. Zelda was trapped in a dark room with this man and the only exit was behind him—an exit that kept getting further away.

Zelda scrambled frantically away now, afraid of what could happen if Fitz were to get close to her. She didn't move very fast as she shuffled backwards awkwardly on her tied hands. The coarse ropes burned her skin as they rubbed considerably faster against her wrists. Zelda's largest hope was to hold out long enough for one of her guards to find her, or to somehow cut her constraints and bolt. While she worked on attempting to achieve the latter, she had to just hope for the former.

"No! Get away!" She shouted as Fitz stalked towards her, his hands twitching.

"Why do they all say that?" Fitz asked himself as his grin grew, showing his yellowed teeth.

A second passed before they both froze as the sound of a scream rose in the air, followed by another one. Suddenly, the crowd went silent outside the cabin. Fitz grinned as he knew the rigged fight was over. He wondered if Gilan had been shot or crushed by the flail; either way, Zelda was left without her dearest protector.

Zelda froze as she heard exactly what Fitz did. Her heart skipped a beat, and then beat faster than it ever has before in her life. Zelda had only been able to reason out two ways of escape as her thinned mind wavered; now, terror turned to horror as one of those options froze and fell—shattering across the abyss around her. Darkness closed in around her as she felt pain like that of an electric shock, lasting less than a second.

 _He can't be dead! Not like her!_ Zelda slipped back into her guilt-ridden mindset as she thought of Gilan. She couldn't stop herself from imagining a hundred scenarios of how Gilan's flame could have been extinguished. He would have lived to become Hyrule's second, if not first, greatest soldier if she hadn't dragged him into this scenario.

However, Zelda didn't have time to reconcile her emotions or mourn her loss as Fitz's eyes were now only a foot away from hers. Zelda jumped in fright as she refused to meet them, instead glancing down and away from him.

She was about to crawl further back when her eyes caught a glint of metal hanging from Fitz's neck by a thin string. She riveted on the piece of jewellery that she instantly recognized as the ring that Gilan had bought for her. She tried to ignore the resounding scream that she had heard outside the cabin as she looked at the precious jewel. The cold casing around her heart melted ever-so-slightly as she found where the ring was. It meant infinitely more to her now that she was convinced that Gilan would never be seen by a living soul again.

Zelda focused on the band, forcing all the trauma in a small bottle that she stuck a cork into. If she was going to survive this, she needed her wits about her and the thought of her guardian-turned-angel comforted her more than anything else ever could.

Zelda grit her teeth whilst tearing her eyes away from her soul-stone and its rejuvenating effects. Although she had tears streaming down her face, a sudden fire roared within her. She looked up in defiance to see Fitz crouching over her, his eyes looking down at her body as he inched closer—unsure where to begin.

Zelda spoke through grit teeth, "I've got an extra gift for you."

Fitz looked up in surprise, not expecting Zelda's crying to disappear so suddenly. He barely saw her eyes as her head slammed towards his viciously. Her forehead rammed into his nose, bending and sundering the cartilage within it. Fitz reared back in pain and surprise as blood filled his nostrils and trickled into the back of his throat. He took a couple steps back and slammed his foot onto the ground as his hands nursed his nose. He stood for a moment in confusion until he froze. Fitz slowly turned like a statue to stare at Zelda, an unbridled rage rushing forth as a cheetah would a gazelle.

Fitz let go of his nose, instead scrambling towards Zelda with malicious intent. He wanted to have this time for himself without a fight, but he encountered resistance before even touching her. Fitz no longer cared about being serene and just wanted to get his hands on whatever was in front of him at all times—Zelda.

He dashed forward as Zelda fell onto her back trying to get away. She had grit teeth and a deep frown that contrasted her flowing tears and rush of emotions. Fitz watched as Zelda, in desperation, attempted to force her boot into his face and keep him at length. Fitz growled in frustration as he slowed down, avoiding the flailing kick completely.

To Zelda's dismay, Fitz grabbed her right foot with his left hand as he subsequently forced her legs apart with his off hand.

"Stop!"

Fitz slowed down, forcing himself to smell the roses as his eyes drifted over the helpless princess. Fear was seeping back into her eyes as he subconsciously licked his lips. Fitz began sliding his hands forward, reaching further and further along uncharted territory. He embraced the rush of testosterone as his smile regrew. He was halfway along her thighs when he froze, hearing a sound in the distance.

Zelda barely heard it through her re-emerging crying. She wasn't able to hold her strength for long, only enough to stop Fitz for a couple seconds. When she'd lost sight of the ring around Fitz's neck, the fire within her had faded just as fast as it rose.

Zelda blinked through the tears as she noticed Fitz looking at the door, his attention subverted from her. Whatever it was had been enough to diverge Fitz' attention from pleasure and Zelda couldn't help but wonder what had saved her for a couple seconds—delaying the inevitable and offering a mote of comfort.

What she didn't expect is for the door to fly open, one of its hinges crumbling from the force. The door now hung diagonally as sunlight suddenly poured into the cabin, illuminating the dark deed that was occurring. She saw a figure silhouetted from the light barge in through the door—one that froze the instant he saw her.

The image that lay in front of Gilan burned into his retinas and forged itself into his deepest and darkest fears. Everything seemed to freeze as Gilan read the situation, dealing with every emotion he felt, both separately and instantaneously.

Zelda was lying on her back, her rope-bound hands tucked under her tailbone. Her clothes were dishevelled and wrinkled from constant rolling around or struggling. Her cloak was thrown open and the top button of her outfit, located on her neck, was ripped off entirely. Her eyes were red and visibly shaken from pain and horror as tears blinded her. There were trails along her face that would linger long after her tears dried. Her breathing was uneven as shock and panic still flooded her system, the adrenaline inducing rubatosis—nearly deafening her.

Zelda's legs were spread apart forcibly as Fitz gripped the flesh of her thighs. He was crouched just in front of Zelda and only his head turned, his body not wanting to lean away from pleasure. Fitz's eyes were shaking, not out of fear however, but in anticipation. He had a lingering smile on his face, even as he slowly recognized Gilan.

In the moment before either of their eyes could adjust to see Gilan, he saw what they felt in the moment. Fitz was hungry, venturing forth to claim something that was never his. Gilan could see the ring dangling from his neck by a delicate string as he scanned Zelda. She was terrified, cold, lonely and mourning for more than just herself.

Gilan felt everything all at once. Fitz froze as he recognized the soldier. Zelda was blinded by tears, just praying to escape this ungodly situation.

Gilan held his sword tightly, feeling an ushering of disgust, contempt and pure hatred within his altruistic soul. His job was to protect people—some more than others. He hated to kill without reason and tried to end any and all conflict with mercy to the enemy. He acted with pragmatism and refused unnecessary risk. However, Gilan couldn't quell the fury inside him. Unbridled wrath surged forward as he realized what Fitz had been attempting to do to Zelda.

Gilan barely knew how to handle the feelings he had for Zelda, but to know what traumatic horror Fitz was about to endow to her tore Gilan's rational mind to pieces. Unable to bridle the uncontrollable, Gilan went along for the ride and followed what his emotions dictated. For one of the first times in his life, Gilan was able to act without any forethought of consequences or whether he should or shouldn't. Zelda, the one most important person in his new life was mere seconds from being viciously attacked by a peasant; Gilan would never let that happen, as long as he lives no harm will befall Zelda.

" _YOU **DARE**?!_" The sound erupted from Gilan's throat as it shook the air, obliterating the sharp cold in a flash of heat.

Gilan's eyes sparked with wrath, a flame growing within his spirit that annihilated the cold atmosphere in a heartbeat. He gripped his longsword with both hands as Fitz rose hastily to his feet, drawing his short sword. Gilan breathed through grit teeth, staring down the atrocity in front of him, uncaring of what befell this man.

Fitz dashed forward, thrusting towards the man who he had presumed to be dead mere seconds ago. Fitz, being in a sudden state of panic due to his discovery, had slid forward farther than he would have liked. He also didn't aim properly, his blade aimed for Gilan's right shoulder rather than heart.

Gilan, whose injured hand never came to mind once, swung viciously upwards at Fitz's short sword. The man was too close and Gilan barely even thought about how to counter the attack, his emotions telling him where to swing—to do so as hard as possible.

The sheer force from Gilan's upper body forced his blade to collide with Fitz's before it struck his body. The villain's hands rose into the air, keeping a firm hold on his blade as it was throw upwards. Gilan felt a glint of pleasure as he used the momentum and swung again, cleanly towards Fitz's wrists.

The thickness of Gilan's longsword proved to be well-crafted as it sheared through bone and muscle like an arrow through butter. Fitz barely moved, unable to comprehend the situation as Gilan swung. The soldier didn't even look to see if his sword had connected, he just waited for a response. However, he didn't need one as he saw a small sword landed on the ground beside him, one with two grubby hands still holding onto the hilt.

Fitz didn't feel any pain at first, just the loss of feeling. It was only when he brought his arms down and looked at them that he saw both his stumped forearms. Blood horrifically flowed into the cloth, not spurting as his large jacket sleeves slunk down to partially cover his wounds. He was about to let out a blood curdling scream of agony, but was cut off when Gilan stepped towards him.

Gilan stepped forward, his eyes about to light aflame as if he were Ghost Rider himself. He brought back his sword with one hand, holding it parallel to the ground. He placed his left hand on Fitz' right shoulder, pulling the man forward. As he did so, Gilan shoved the blade forward and cleanly into the centre of Fitz' chest cavity. Gilan breathed heavily for the movement, the passion and adrenaline flooding his system. Zelda didn't even know what was happening as she slowly sat up against the far wall, pulling her knees up to her chest to soothe herself.

Gilan let go of his bloodstained sword as Fitz grasped weakly at it, his strength diminishing exponentially as the air escaped his body. His eyes were already glazed, unable to meet the guardian angel. Gilan reached forward with his right hand, grasping the ring and tugging it off Fitz's neck—tearing the string. Fitz didn't care about it anymore, it was the least of his worries. In fact, he didn't have to worry about much anymore as everything faded, getting darker and darker. He slumped to his knees, unable to pull out the metal lodged within his heart. He started tilting to the side when Gilan ran to Zelda.

Gilan tried not to remember what he had just done. He had spent his whole life refusing to kill even when commanded and now he had killed a man in what felt like cold blood. Even though it wasn't, Gilan still felt wrong in killing Fitz. The emotions within him quelled all pragmatic thoughts and he simply acted accordingly to his purest, innermost desires. Now, as he looked to Zelda, he realized why he had felt the need to end that life.

Zelda sat against the far wall, not able to look upon Fitz as she held her knees close to her chest in terror. She knew someone had come in, but she had just crawled away as fast as possible—not wanting to know how the situation could possibly get any worse.

She heard approaching footsteps and looked up, fearing the worst. She froze when she saw Gilan looking at her as he crouched beside her. She barely even felt him reach behind her and cut off the restraints. Zelda stared into his eyes, feeling an immediate rush of warmth over her. The shock of the situation flooded her senses, causing confusion as she tried to piece everything together with her conflicted emotions. Zelda was truthfully unsure whether Gilan was real or a mental fabrication of her pleads.

"Zelda! Did he hurt you?!"

Gilan put a hand on Zelda's shoulder but she barely noticed it as she blinked through her tears. She slowly reached her left hand forward, towards Gilan's face. He froze, seeing the shakiness of her eyes and instead let her act accordingly to her own will.

Zelda feared the worst, that her mind was playing tricks on her. He looked real, and Fitz was no longer climbing on top of her, but everything in the moment was too much for her senses. Only seconds had passed since she had heard a scream outside the cabin, one that she had feared to be Gilan's. Her faithful had been struck down by the faithless—of that she had been convinced; but now the details created discrepancies amongst themselves as Gilan now crouched soothingly in front of her. She saw spatters of blood on his face, horrifying her if it was his own blood. She was too scared to look down in case he had a large hole through his chest and her own mind collapsing in on itself. However, as she reached forward, her hand was stopped by Gilan's jaw—he was real.

Zelda let her hand slide along the gruff skin, using Gilan as a baseline for her emotions. Everything was scrambled, she didn't know what to sort through first but if she focused on her new feelings for her appointed swordsman, she could come around to the rest. For now, Zelda needed comfort more than a plant needs sunlight as an uncontrollable smile creased her face.

Zelda whispered, her voice cracking and wavering as she sighed, "Gil…"

Zelda leaned forward, wrapping her arms around Gilan and pulling herself up to him. She never realized the warmth he emanated nor how badly she needed it. Zelda didn't try to hide her fear or horror with Gilan, she didn't want to hide anything from him. If anyone could console her right now, it was the man who just saved her.

Zelda shoved her head into Gilan's chest as he leaned down to meet her halfway, holding her close to him. As she searched for comfort, Gilan gave as much as he could. Naturally, he was protective of anyone he cared for. Although there weren't many people that he had grown fond of over the years, he was nonetheless fiercely protective. Now, someone had almost traumatized his dear Zelda, attempting to take something that was not meant to be stolen. Gilan wrapped his arms tightly around Zelda, hearing her sobs as she took a moment to come to terms with her situation.

Gilan blinked as Zelda's powers bloomed, her hair glowing a bright gold as they both kneeled, huddling with each other in a room full of darkness. Gilan looked around the warm room as the shadows disappeared, evil being eradicated by the light. He didn't look at the crumpled heap behind him-Fitz didn't deserve even a glance. Gilan looked back to Zelda, unable to see her face or eyes. He could still feel her convulsing from each sob, unaware of her powers activating. Gilan didn't know what the catalyst to her abilities was and just assumed it was intense emotion, stress and horror being the benefactors.

Gilan didn't say anything; he just leaned down further, pulling Zelda upwards slightly as he held her tighter against him. He'd let Fitz get too close to Zelda; Gilan would never allow this to happen again. Zelda suddenly meant more than the sun to him as she was degraded to tears by a simpleton. Gilan promised to her in a whisper, "I'll never let this happen again. Next time, we don't split up."

Zelda barely heard his words above her own shaking, however she did hear the comforting tone. She let her fingers relax slightly and slide down Gilan's back—releasing tension within her. She tried to forcefully stop crying, but it only made it worse. The corked bottle within her shattered and she remembered the horrors of a minute again. She tightened her grip as Gilan did, not wanting to leave the heat and go into the cold that is the world. She was grateful for the moment of peace, without any new information or event to process.

Gilan rocked gently from side to side, forcing Zelda to start the motion and move with him. She shook less, her mind focusing on movement rather than the horrors which she should forget. Gilan had seen too many injured soldiers on the brink of death who just wallowed in pity and pain, unable to live in their last moments of life. He knew fully well what Zelda has gone through, how her mind was trying to focus on every single detail at once—barely even comprehending one.

Attempting to calm his suddenly most cherished treasure, Gilan began humming. It was a tune his mother used to sing to him when he was younger and in need of nurture and care. Her voice was always resonant, naturally soothing and just made him want to sit down and listen to it for hours. She could change the mood of a moment from dreary to cheery in a matter of seconds with the delivery of her music. She used to write and sing and it still calmed Gilan to reminisce on her nursery rhymes. Although he was unable to sing, Gilan still felt compelled by Hylia herself to soothe Zelda in every way he possibly could—to coddle her even after she refused it.

It started off slow, building up in rhythm and volume as it went. Gilan kept his side to side rocking as he went, closing his eyes as he remembered. A gentle smile creased his face as he stopped thinking and acted as he never has before—instinctually.

Zelda felt herself drifting away from broken glass and taking a step back from the reality of everything. The whole situation was overwhelming for her but she didn't have to think now, she didn't have to react. Zelda had been terrified when she thought Gilan had passed on. She'd only just gripped the emotions she felt for him, embracing them with open arms. Then, they were swished away from her like butterflies in a net only to be released once again.

Sinking is what Zelda felt as she slumped in Gilan's grasp. She softly hummed the song along with him, tuning herself with the vibrations reverberating from his chest. She drew back from the harsh memories, focusing on what comforts her rather than berates. Stress melted as did terror, resulting in a serene moment

Gilan had no intention of letting go soon, for that Zelda was grateful. Even if she were able to leave she didn't want to. She would savour this moment as long as she possibly could. The longer Zelda stayed, the more stable her mind became; the more concrete her perception, the more she realized how much she appreciated Gilan and his actions to comfort her. She could go down this slide ad infinitum if she had enough time. She knew that eventually she would have to leave, to go back and face the frozen memories, but this time she will have Gilan to help thaw them. For now, she could forget about them.

Zelda had her bodyguard back.

She had her pride back.

She had Gilan and she'll never lose him again—for both their sakes.

* * *

 _ **Alright, that was uncomfortable. Had a good ending, but definitely felt uncomfortable during most of it. It was meant to be like that and DAMN it felt so weird to write. Although I will never write a sex scene of the like in this story, the threat of it is insanely good to build characters. Anyways, hope it did okay at the spoopy atmosphere. Leave a review if you're enjoying it though! Have a good life and don't die fams.**_


	29. Needed Comfort

_**Hey… I know it's been a while. Thought I wouldn't be back? Well, I'm back baby! There's been a lot that's happened: I started University, moved out of home, even got a girlfriend which I'd never expected; that's actually why I'm back awkwardly enough. I'd planned on finishing this story, I have basic plans for a sequel and a fermenting idea for a prequel but I never had any motivation to continue. I'd hit some serious writers block without really knowing. I gave up for a while and just never came back. But now that my girlfriend and I are almost upon 1 year, I'd decided to relive a moment of my life and reread it because why not. I'd never realized that by writing out small fantasies and things I'd wished for, attention and affection as any boy craves lmao, I'd perfectly foreshadowed my own relationship through this story. Almost every detail correlates to us through the separate characters as a whole. The smallest most inconsequential of details in the story reminds me of her and I actually cried at one of the chapters. Seeing as how it moved me and reminded me of how much I've earned recently, I can only imagine how everyone else feels to take part in the perspective of my story.**_

 _ **That's why I'm back.**_

 _ **I'm refusing to leave this story in the middle of a hurt/comfort mini-arch where the comfort hasn't fully set in yet. No matter how much time it takes or how abysmal my timing is or my lack of motivation, this story will come to a conclusion. There will be a climax. There will be a denouement and I'll be damned sure to work my best for it. Thank you, everyone, for the continued respect and support. I don't really know what else to say. Everyone goes through rough parts of life and some projects and habits need to be abandoned; but if you hope for the best and keep life in your goals and aspirations, you might just be surprised to find they'll come true.**_

 _ **Here's to our health and, more importantly, to our loved ones who care for us unconditionally and give us everything we've ever needed.**_

* * *

Everyone was back in the original clearing beside the road where the royal caravan had been originally apprehended. Sloshing through the bog was even more difficult with the weight of loss on everyone's shoulders. The mud had slightly hardened as the day grew further into the evening, sending cold winds winding through the trees. Their new prisoners, convicted of conspiring against the crown and treason among several other crimes, all had to endure one last trip through the swamp. They were more than willing to show the path through after the terror Gilan put them through during and after the battle. The prisoners walked in front to make sure they followed their own path properly. If they were to diverge, they could step into a deeper area with no hard ground underfoot, submerging fully downwards to their eventual drowning. No one wanted to imagine drowning in the thick mud, it'd be too much torture with the ensuing panic. Given that each prisoner was tied to the next in a linear line: if one were to fall in, they'd all eventually follow—only galvanizing them more to lead swiftly and correctly.

However, the trip was the most difficult for Gilan. He took up the rear of the group carrying a figure draped in white cloth. Her body was limp and heavy in his arms—heavier on his soul. He barely thought of the mud as he lifted the soulless body of his companion towards safety. Gilan refused to leave her behind, she had done the greatest deed a bodyguard could ever do; she gave her life for the safety of others. Zelda hung her head, glancing back to the emotionless Gilan as he gently strode. He looked so grim, she had no idea what was going through his head. Zelda felt guilty, pure and bridled as she looked to the woman who had been willing to die for her. _She deserved better. I hope that wherever she is now, she's happy. Maybe she got to see how it all turned out and that her effort wasn't for nothing._

Shortly after the gruelling trudge, the prisoners collapsed onto the ground out of exhaustion. Many of them had lost their boots and their feet were soaked in mud. The two remaining guards tried in vain to wipe themselves off but stood by respectfully as they waited for Gilan. Zelda joined their sides, not knowing what to say as all eyes now laid on Gilan and the Hylia-sent guard.

Somehow, Gilan managed to look majestic even as his legs up to his just below his knees and the cusp of his boots were soaked in mud and guck. In fact, the boots dark colour hid the clay-like substance well as he stepped onto the harder ground. The rest of his clothes were wrinkled and his merchant façade lost some of its verisimilitude as a result. His hat was long lost to the spirits of the forest. The white pieces on his biceps were spattered with blood and several larger splotches could be seen on his chest. The stains had slightly dried by now, but Gilan's clothing was the least of his current worries.

Gilan fixated on the corpse, knowing she demanded his every respect in the afterlife. She would get transport back to Hyrule Castle where she would get the recognition she deserved. He wouldn't let her be buried on un-ceremonial and unhallowed grounds. He stopped in his tracks, unsure of what to do as he looked up to his grieving companions.

Whether it was guilt or grief that motivated her, Zelda spoke first, "We should honour her memory before we do anything. She deserves that in the least."

Gilan nodded his agreement wordlessly as he strode over to the cleanest space on the edge of the clearing. Gently and extremely carefully, he kneeled onto the ground. He had made sure to keep the white cloth that covered the body untouched by the mud and he kept his dirtied legs away from her. He slowly placed her on the ground, seeing her head turn to the side under the cloth. He let her legs fall flat onto the ground as she rested. Gilan stepped back with his companions and crossed his hands in front of him. He slowly furled his hands together, cupping one with the other. They all stood there motionlessly and they all took a moment to grieve even though none of them knew her in-depth, she was still a Hylian and deserved respect through the afterlife. The younger of the royal guards were on the verge of releasing a tear as tension grew. Gilan let out a deep sigh under his breath; he drew in a deeper one and began to speak.

"Here lies Ashley Amaranth; she fought bravely till the end and served the greater good up to her last breath," Gilan spoke as she stood straight-backed with his hands holding one another in front of him. His hung head was low as he looked at the rectangular mound of cloth in front of him.

Gilan had never attended a funeral before. He'd seen soldiers lose their lives but never had to give a speech for them. He'd never thought he'd have to and never realized how hard it was to keep his voice strong as he spoke.

"I may not know much about her, but I know she was a good person. Ashley was a mother, a wife with a husband and two children at home. She was braver than us all. I remember several times where she called me out, reprimanding my mistakes. There was one time when I'd been playing cards on the ramparts instead of keeping watch and it was her that caught me right before Link dragged me down the stairs." Gilan smiled at the soft memory, taking a moment to relive it.

Zelda subconsciously sidled closer to Gilan as she closed her eyes in prayer. She was so used to praying to attempt to awaken her powers and for her own gain—now she prayed for safe passage to the afterlife. She prayed to Hylia that Ashley makes it safely to her version of an afterlife with a clear conscious and lack of regret.

The trees whimpered as the air grew heavy around them. The greenery mourned alongside the royalty, apologizing for the tragedy committed within its trees. The sun warmed the shoulders of the grief-bearers and attempted to comfort them through this moment of reminiscence. All the critters slowed to a stop as the horses glanced over, feeling the emptiness in the air. Silence stood for all and faltered when Gilan recovered his voice.

"She fell today in service of the royal crown in the forest east of Hyrule Castle. May she find solace in the fact that she will be remembered and honoured among the family, a hero to all her life has affected. May justice face her kindly and her good karma reflect on her rewards wherever she may be now. May she rest peacefully and let her soul wander where it wants most. You're a symbol to the family and the epitome of a royal guard. May your valiance be recognized and your fame be great. Go free and go proudly, Ashley Amaranth."

Gilan let his head tilt down slightly again as he let his eyes close again. He felt his voice shake as his chest quivered. He mourned the loss of a friend and a great companion. Zelda mourned for the loss of a protector, praying that no one else should have to fall the way she did. The two present guards mourned the loss of a motherly figure who had taught them how to keep up with Link; they prayed she continue to guide them through their travels and grant them her wisdom.

Another minute of silence passed. Not even the bandits behind them spoke, obligating to give their captors a moment to grieve; they also stayed quiet lest they earn a punishment.

Zelda took in a breath, about to speak more on Ashley out of her gratitude, but froze when a sound fluttered into her ears. She opened her eyes and looked around to see Gilan looking to the location of the sound also, it wasn't just her.

 _Hooves? It's already evening, who would be out here?_

Everyone moved as one towards the trail. Their own horses were tied to a nearby overturned log, but it wasn't their hooves being heard. The sound was repetitive and in sync, a fluid motion that only a horse in confident stride could make. The sound began to overlap itself as more sets of hoof beats became apparent. Gilan rested his hand on his sword as he squinted at the trail, waiting for whoever it was to show themselves. Gilan was ready to face more bandits if he needed to, he wasn't afraid. He still had a job to do and nothing could ever make him stop. He didn't even think as he pulled his sword out of its scabbard, hearing the familiar hiss of steel on leather. The blade hadn't fully dried, nor had he the chance to wipe it off yet. As he placed both hands on the hilt, blood-streaked slowly down the blade towards the handguard, dripping onto the ground before him. Zelda shuttered at the sight of the scarlet liquid, not wanting to remember who it had come from.

Gilan stood ready with his feet squared and his shoulders set as his fellow swordsman followed suit, drawing their swords and scanning their surroundings. He kept a loose grip on his sword and focused on the road. Gilan wasn't about to let their journey come to an end after what they'd all just endured. There was no way that Gilan was going to make any of his previous mistakes; the princess is never to leave his side once in the wilderness. He'd vowed to protect Zelda and he felt the power of that vow even more deeply after what Fitz had done. He'd keep her safety to his last fleeting breath and spark of his soul. It wasn't until he saw the first heads appear from the shadows that he let his hands fall to his sides as his sword tip rested just above the ground.

Everyone collectively let out a thankful sigh; the troop of horseman were Hylian guards. They weren't dressed as ceremonially as royal guards often were, but they had an important duty to keep the roads safe nonetheless. Thankfully they were late on their patrols. The soldiers looked at the rundown group and studied them for a moment. There were five horsemen travelling in an arrowhead formation as they scanned these new individuals for possible threats. They all kept trotting along until their eyes all collectively met on the fear-stricken, rope-bound individuals.

The lead horseman skid to a stop and flicked his head over towards Gilan, "What is the meaning of this?!"

Gilan sighed and rolled his eyes as he saw the guard's point of view. It was realistic for him to be seen as the criminal in this sense, he'd do the same thing in the captain's stead. He recognized the captain as Johan, a man he'd learnt beside and sparred with on several occasions. Johan rode towards him as he drew his sword, holding it defensively, "holster your weapon and explain yourself!"

Gilan slid his sword swiftly into the scabbard and was about to open his mouth, drawing in a breath to speak as a cry interrupted him.

"Please help us!" Rorsch's voice cried out, "These bandits have stolen everything we have! They've tortured us and maimed me!"

The four other horsemen became increasingly wary of their surroundings as they glanced around for any hidden foes. They all quickly dismounted their horses and kept their hands on their weapons, inching towards the prisoners. Johan kept his eyes planted on Gilan as he listened to the man, only glancing at him once. Gilan opened his mouth, tired of today's proceedings.

Rorsch grinned sheepishly as he took in another breath to shout as Gilan prepared to speak. However, when he saw the deep fury and pent-up frustration his eyes, Rorsch felt much safer in keeping his mouth closed. He sat down on his rump in penitence as Gilan turned fully to the captain.

"Johan, as your commanding officer, I am formally requesting you to transport this group of prisoners to Hyrule Castle." Johan's face visibly twitched as Gilan identified himself.

Johan acted quickly, realizing the situation has been completely reversed. He swiveled around in his saddle towards his men, "Halt! These prisoners are prisoners of the law, apprehended by Gilan in service of his majesty." The troop all stuttered in their steps as they stopped, not realizing at first who it was in the merchant clothing.

Johan turned to Gilan with a confused expression as he studied him up and down while still on his horse. "What in Hylia's name have you been up to? This is the last place I would have expected to find you."

Gilan glared at the man as he spoke, demanding more respect than he'd received. Normally when responding to a request the guard would ask for more details like the crime they committed and confirm or deny whether the company would be able to endure prisoners under their current circumstances. In this case, Gilan saw the guards were all well-rested without any wear nor tear and were heading towards Hyrule Castle-denoting their returning from patrolling or other trivial missions. However, Johan failed correspondence to the request and had instead just answered with another question. Gilan frowned deeper as he thought, _I'll have to be as strict as Link if this is how it'll be._

He was about to speak to the soldier as Zelda strode up beside him. The two royal guards followed in step, not leaving the princess' side for even a moment. Zelda pushed back her hood and stood proudly and dignified beside Gilan. Her back was straight and chin high as she glared at the guard sitting above her. She held her hands in front of her as the waning sunlight caught her hair, brightening her aesthetic. Her matted and dirtied clothes felt negligible in her divinity as her power blossomed, giving her a golden aura. Here pupils sparked a divine gold as her hair glowed, although no one could tell if it was more because of the sunlight or her powers. The clearing was doused in a wave of warm light, brightening every corner and crevice. Gilan suddenly felt like a very small individual in comparison to her ability to compose herself. Silence swept through the company as they realized who was with Gilan-the princess herself.

Within seconds, the two royal guards dropped to a knee and put their heads down, kneeling to Zelda. Gilan was about to follow suit as Zelda placed a hand under his arm and looked at him out of the corner of her eyes. He could almost hear her say, "stay," to him as he stood beside her. He nodded silently, placing his sword into the dirt below them and holding the ball of his pommel with both hands and shoulders squared. The troop of guards in front of them suddenly got on a knee too as they saw Zelda, wanting to show as much respect as individually possible. However, Johan was on his horse.

In Hylian society, it was the utmost disrespect to stay seated in a higher position than the authority of the crown. Only second below that was disrespecting the chain of command, but all respect was constantly due for the crown. In this way, Hylian society is the opposite of the Zora. Within Hyrule castle, there are several political punishments for threatening the crown or even making mention of any form of threat held within the several agreed-upon laws created by committees and revised annually.

On the opposite, Zora's Domain has no repercussions for speaking ill of the crown of making minor threats-although large threats are dealt with as seen fit. However, if anyone were to speak against the royalty or insult the beloved Princess or Champion, that individual better hope no one had heard them as the Zora's would tear them apart upon hearing disrespect. In fact, most fights guards break up are from tourists commenting on the authorities; no tourist has ever won a fight against a Zora citizen.

Now as Johan sat upon his horse, dumbstruck at the sight of Zelda, the colour drained out of his face as she made eye contact. The man looked down and scrambled his right foot out of his stirrup and swung it around his horse. He dropped to the ground as fast as possible, practically throwing himself in front of Gilan and more importantly Zelda.

Johan put both his knees on the ground and kept his head pointed to the ground, accepting that he had made mistakes. He felt a flame on his cheeks as a chilling sensation ran through his body when Zelda spoke.

Her angelic voice echoed slightly as she used a mote of her power, "I am Princess Zelda, heir to the throne of Hyrule and daughter to King Rhoame as part of the Hylia bloodline. I am your superior and you will do well to remember that as well as respecting your officer in command by answering the requests you are given. You do not speak out of turn; it will do you well to remember that."

Gilan saw a couple of the guards turn their heads ever so slightly to each other as their captain was berated. He could almost hear them going _ooooooooooh_ to one another. Gilan remained stone-faced as he looked down at Johan.

Zelda left a couple of seconds for the message to sink in and for a theatrical effect. She frowned when she realized how much her style of ruling would be similar to that of her father. Eventually, she spoke, " _Johan_ , as your Princess, I am _ordering_ you to transport this group of prisoners to Hyrule Castle." Johan felt his shame rise as she stressed his name, reinforcing the message.

"Of course my lady, f-for what crime?"

Zelda glared at the prisoners as she folded her hands behind her, "kidnapping a figure of royalty, assault, and attempted murder." She remembered the events of today and she wasn't sure what angered her more, the attempt of Gilan's life or the assault from Fitz, but it angered her to the core. "Add treason to the list."

Rorsche's eyes lifted up at the word treason; his jaw dropped as the realization of his fate set in-there was no escape and his life was forfeit.

"We will start preparing for transport immediately," Johan spoke quickly, wanting to retain as much honour as he could.

Gilan turned his head to Zelda and saw the white sheet of his deceased compatriot. He coughed noticeably into a fist. When Zelda glanced almost nonchalantly Gilan immediately felt a pang of guilt for having diverted her attention at all. He barely stopped himself from flinching as he directed his eyes behind her and jerked his head gently to the side, urging her silently to turn. Zelda caught on quick, turning to see Ashley still lying on the ground.

The golden hue in the air slowly died as the sun crested the treeline, dipping the clearing into darker lighting. Zelda's power dampened as she had already got her point across. Zelda felt a pang of guilt for having berated the guard before having helped her fallen guard. She deserved to be back at Hyrule Castle as soon as possible, not lying in the dirt. Gilan could tell Zelda was upset, he couldn't say it out loud how he knew, but he did. Zelda sighed quietly and turned back to Johan.

"You may stand, there is one more thing you must do."

Johan stood up slowly, not even brushing the dirt off his knees as he stood in front of Zelda. He was careful to not stand straight-backed in case of insulting the princess further by standing above her.

Upon seeing how crushed the soldier looked, Zelda immediately felt bad for reprimanding him but didn't say anything. It was a lesson he needed to learn and it would hopefully only be a one-time occasion. Zelda stepped forward, placing a warm hand on his shoulder saying, "look, Johan, I have had one of the worst days of my life and I really need you to work with me. I regret to inform you that we've had a death." She looked back at the white make-shift casket on the ground. Johan followed her gaze and didn't react; he was used to death.

"If I may, princess, who is it that has passed?"

Zelda paused, looking back to Gilan in case she messed up the angel's name.

"We lost Ashley today; she protected the princess to her last breath, " Gilan spoke with a monotone voice, not sure what expression to show.

Johan's shoulders slumped visibly, "Amaranth?"

Gilan nodded and Johan hung his head, closing his eyes. The troop of soldiers, similar to their captain, all closed their eyes and sent a prayer for her safe passage upon hearing the news. It wasn't every day that they lose someone as respected as that of Mrs. Amaranth. Eventually, the captain softly nodded his head stating, "we will bring her with us, she deserves hallowed ground."

Zelda looked over to the woman saying, "I will honour her myself at Hyrule Castle once I return, she's a hero."

"She was to us all and will always be a reminder of what to strive for. She will be dearly missed," Johan spoke softly, realizing now how much the caravan in front of him has been through. He wasn't surprised anymore as to why Gilan's ostentatious clothing was covered in blood.

"Thank you," Zelda spoke as she relinquished her power, stepping away from Johan. The captain nodded to her and Gilan as his troop began to rise and begin their duties. Before venturing towards his tasks, Johan whispered as respectfully as possible to the powerful figure in front of him, "we'll take it from here and… I'm sorry for your loss."

* * *

It took only fifteen minutes before the patrol was ready to head back towards Hyrule Castle. The prisoners were tied behind the last couple of horses, their hands and feet all bound to each other in a line. They had enough slack to walk, but they weren't able to get far from one another nor the patrol without bringing the rope taught and tripping themselves. In a separate group twenty paces ahead, the deceased guard was held between two of the horses at the front in a sling, with her own masterless horse following. The rest of the horses kept an arrowhead formation near the front to keep any travelers well away from the caravan. Anyone seeing the patrol would move aside immediately, not wanting to disrupt the passage of the dead lest they incur the fury of the gods.

Gilan still held the last image of Rorsch he'd ever see as his opponent glared back at him with helplessness in his eyes and a mountain of penitence that would only last as long as his imprisonment would; fortunately, imprisonment was not the road he would face upon arrival to the castle.

All that remained in the barren clearing was four horses as they stamped their feet, unaware of the events of the day, Gilan, Zelda, and the two remaining royal guards.

The sun had set by down, cresting the landscape and casting its orange glow across the dreary earth. The horizon was hidden from them, but the clouds overhead shone a deep orange with streaks of red quickly fading.

Everyone stood facing the way the caravan had left, their footprints the only entity that remained of their occurrence. No one was completely certain of what was next. Silence crept into the clearing as their horses lay down, preparing themselves for eventual sleep, accepting the encroaching darkness as the end of their work for tonight.

It was Zelda who shattered the silence and voiced everyone's thoughts, "So… what now?"

Gilan turned his head and was surprised to see her looking at him. Somehow he'd forgotten he had been the head of this expedition following the caravan plan, albeit having it fall apart along the way. With the show that Zelda had just given and the authority and respect she had demanded, Gilan felt very out of place-he didn't feel like he should be the one in charge.

As Gilan thought of this, he realized how defeated the princess looked. Her back arched and her feigned dignity fleeted as the cold claws of exhaustion clasped at her every feature. Gilan recognized the look on the royal guards too as they readjusted their footing sluggishly. He frowned as the light died more within the clearing-the sun was no longer with them.

After a shrug and a rubbing of his eyebrows, Gilan exasperatedly said, "well I say that we've all earned a night of rest. It's been a long day and we need some time to coalesce before getting back onto the road. We don't want to get to Zora's Domain in the middle of a crisis and be too worn out from sleep-deprivation to do anything." Gilan nodded and gestured to the two guards, "let's get a fire going and bedrolls laid out."

About half an hour later, everyone finally felt somewhat relaxed. It wasn't the best atmosphere considering the howling of the wind through the trees and omnipresent sense of lurking danger, but the company made do. A comfortably sized fire had several logs in the shape of a triangular pyramid sat in the center of a circle of large stones as to not let any other fires start; the last thing they needed to go through was waking up to the forest around them aflame. A small grate was held above the fire by thin metal spires with a pot sitting on top.

Luckily for the group, Gilan had become an excellent chef in the eyes of travellers; he always had water, spices, herbs, dried meats, even vegetables whilst having the knowledge on how to combine them. The royal guards were always so used to eating the dried jerky all on its own without any variety but now they were having a soup they'd expect from a high-end tavern instead of in the woods. The meat was tendered by the water, not tasting as dry as usual and the broth was heightened with every ingredient he added.

They ate happily and took seconds whenever possible, thanking Gilan incessantly whenever possible. Although this was no gourmet meal to Zelda, who has had much better from a proper kitchen, she too knew the struggle of eating and travelling and was very pleasantly surprised to have a delicious meal instead of bitterly tugging on a string of meat.

While the guards wolfed down as much soup as possible, exhausted from carrying their armour and weapons for so long, Zelda delicately held her bowl with her hands cupping both sides as she sipped the broth. The clearing felt much smaller due to the darkness, but at the same time much safer near the campfire.

Zelda felt much more homely and tried to let her shoulders relax. The soup warmed her soul, travelling throughout her body like a ripple through water as she observed the care Gilan put into nurturing the food. Oddly, it made her think of Gilan as a father caring for a child instead of a pot. She pushed the thought out of her head with a blush and a glance to Gilan, worrying if he somehow knew what she was thinking. Seeing he was distracted, she took a sip of the soup as she covered her blush.

Zelda took the bowl away from her lips and gingerly wiped her mouth with a sleeve rather unceremoniously and asked, "Where'd you learn to cook like this?"

The younger royal guard spoke first, who was in a rather chipper mood from the addition of sustenance, "Not from Link that's for sure!"

The other guard let out a bark of laughter, almost choking on a spoonful of meat as he leaned his head back. Gilan raised an eyebrow at them like a mother would at her mildly pestering children before speaking calmly to the princess, "it was my mother who taught me actually. She had always wanted me to have strong cooking skills for when she forgot how to cook, although it hasn't quite happened yet. I swear you'd give that woman a couple of oranges and she'd make the best lemonade you've ever had in your life."

Zelda nodded along to his story but frowned at the last part, piecing together how that would even work. Her thoughts drifted to the two guards speaking with each other as they laughed nearly uncontrollably: "-and, and then… then he looked so proud-" the younger guard broke into laughter again before he could finish the sentence.

The princess looked up to Gilan questioningly and he glanced at the guards. He simply smiled and rubbed his eyebrows, laughing to himself under his breath. Gilan spoke up as the guards looked to him in near-tears as he barely contained his laughter, "here, at least let me tell the story properly."

Gilan sat up as everyone inched closer, wanting to know every detail. "It was a half a year back when we were on a diplomatic mission to Rito Village. I think we were accompanying a couple of high-ranking personnel to make sure they didn't get robbed or attacked. The mission went quietly and had several nights where we had to sit and camp for the night just as we are now. The first night was very similar to this, we all had a campfire and I had cooked for everyone. Although my meat stew did not last nearly as long with Link coming along, that's why I had brought extra ingredients. We all know his eating habits are a little…" Gilan smiled and Zelda raised an eyebrow at him, "okay maybe a LOT unconventional. That man would eat the bark off a tree if he were to skip lunch."

Zelda covered her mouth and giggled at the thought of Link grabbing a tree with both hands and gnawing on the side. For some reason, seeing Zelda laugh at his story only engaged Gilan more, galvanizing him to continue.

"The second night went very very differently; Link wanted to cook. He didn't see how it was so hard, I mean," Gilan mimicked Link's actions in the story and he shrugged his own shoulders with his palms pointed to the sky, " _it's just cooking._ He'd actually said that to my face. I didn't say a word, I wanted to see him try. I know he could eat a mountain but trying to make even fried eggs was somehow a challenge for him. The plan for that night had been a poultry curry using Goron spice to give it some flavour. I did not help Link in the _slightest_ as he grabbed the ingredients and went straight to work."

Gilan rubbed his eyebrows with a smile as he leaned forward in disbelief, "the first thing he did is that he knew he needed rice and I had given him a bag of rice. He takes the _entire_ bag and dumps it into the empty pot. No water, just dry rice in a pot above the fire." Zelda smiled and leaned forward with both her hands cupping her mouth in amazement. "Everyone was staring at the mad lad as he placed the drumsticks onto the grate above the fire, not thinking that he should maybe lift it a little higher above the flames. As the drumsticks began sizzling, this man gets up and puts _ANOTHER_ log in the fire that was already too high. Link, who was confident in his ability to bullshit his way through anything, sat back and crossed his arms with a smug grin as everyone else watched in amused horror; a few seconds later and _WOOSH_ ," Gilan waved his hands into the air with the onomatopoeia, " the drumsticks burst into flames."

The older of the guards couldn't hold his laughter and snorted as he began laughing uncontrollably. The younger guard beside him and decided to take a sip of soup as his companion cackled, the sudden stimuli made him choke on his soup as the howling spread. Zelda watched as the youngest guard pulled away his bowl and was struggling to swallow without laughing as he looked at his companion, tiny drops of liquid spilling out of the edges of his mouth. Eventually, it all spilled out onto the ground in front of him and he leaned back, joining his companion in their chortle. Zelda covered her mouth and laughed at both the story and the reaction to the guards. She knew that Link would absolutely do that and she wished she'd been able to see it herself. Gilan chuckled at his guards, knowing how much they enjoy storytelling and gossiping. He felt a warm pride take over his heart as Zelda laughed out loud. She looked happy and that just made Gilan feel happy to be there with her, serving her in every way he could.

Eventually, the guards managed to contain themselves without spilling their meals again. Zelda kept her smile under a hand as she turned back to Gilan. She was sitting criss-cross on the ground as she leaned forward, her eyes urging Gilan to go on.

Gilan smiled proudly as all attention diverted back to him-he'd always enjoyed telling stories. "The look on Link's face did not last long. His smile dropped like an anchor, as did his jaw. Luckily he wore leather gloves as he dove his hands directly onto the grate. Normally I'd slap someone's hands for not using tongs but that was the least of our worries. In fact, most of the bystanders were either laughing uncontrollably or paranoid with fear of how it could get worse. As Link battered at the chicken like a cat slapping at a toy, he managed to roll it off into the grass and away from the fire. Then as if he'd forgotten that we actually planned on eating tonight, he starts stomping on it!"

Zelda covered her entire face groaning, "what in Hylia's name was he thinking?"

The younger guard grinned saying, "we all collectively have zero clue."

Gilan grinned as he continued, "Good news is, he did put out the fire rather quickly. He turned around with a sigh and sat back down by the fire saying, _I guess we're just having rice tonight._ Link then picks up a wooden spoon and goes to stir the rice; the wooden spoon didn't budge. In fact, neither did the rice. Link, who already felt very frustrated, started scratching at the rice to stir it. It had started to budge but not enough for Link as he picked it up by the wooden handles," Gilan held up his hands as if carrying that same pot, "and flipped it upside down."

Gilan paused for effect as everyone leaned in closer. Zelda had a pleading look in her eyes, begging him to go on, "then nothing."

Zelda blurted out, "nothing!"

Gilan raised an eyebrow at her as she leaned back, blushing and covering her mouth at the outburst. She blushed harder when she realized how invested she suddenly felt in the story and the gentle look Gilan offered her. The light from the campfire flickered across his features as he was still posed as if holding an upside-down pot.

After a moment, Gilan continued, "then there was a gentle sliding sound. Link froze, feeling the rice finally come free. After a couple of agonizing seconds, a blob of what looked like a black cylinder slid out of the pot and thudded into the grass, hard as a rock."

Gilan leaned back, content with his story as Zelda looked at him in amazement. "There's no way he burnt it like that."

Gilan tilted his head with a nod saying, "oh yes he did and it is one of the best moments of my life."

Gilan frowned as neither of the guards had laughed as much as he thought they would. Of course, they'd laughed, but they looked at him expectantly. The older man waved in hand saying, "c'mon Gilan don't stop there."

Zelda flicked her head back between the men and Gilan in anticipation, "there's more?!"

Gilan shook his head saying, "nope, we all cleaned up and I made us an actual meal instead of the disaster Link created."

The younger guard waved his arms in the air saying, "no no no! You're missing the best part! I got this."

Gilan leaned forward, putting his head into his hands with a curious glance from Zelda. She leaned forward, needing to hear the ending to the story as if it were the last thing she'd do.

The guard spoke proudly, trying his hardest not to laugh before the punchline, "after that mound of burnt rice hit the ground, everything went dead silent. I was too scared to speak in case Link was to punish us, but not Gilan. This man," The guard motioned his hand at Gilan with a grin, "walks up to Link in complete and utter silence. He strides up confidently and-" the guard wheezed, on the verge of crying, "-and he picks up the bottle of Goron spice. He sprinkles just a dash onto the destroyed rice as Link glared at him. Gilan looks up at Link with the widest shit-eating grin I've ever seen and says, ' _F plus, at best.'_ "

As the guard finished his story, both he and his companion roared into laughter together, practically falling backwards and rolling in the dirt. Zelda's jaw dropped as she looked to Gilan who was leaning forward with his head in his hands embarrassed. She leaned closer whispering, "you did _not_."

Gilan removed one hand to reveal an eye as he met her gaze. He let out a hint of a smile as he shrugged, "it may have slipped out."

With that, Zelda couldn't contain herself as the laughter from the guards spread to her. She held onto her sides with laughter, unable to stop nor even wanting to. Gilan chuckled to himself, recovering from his embarrassment as his companions all struggled to breathe. Gilan rubbed his eyebrows once more and peered at Zelda. Somehow, his heart was lifted ten times higher upon seeing her smile and hearing her laugh, she'd been so destroyed earlier and seeing her this happy just made him smile wider than ever before.

Gilan didn't want her laugh to ever stop and wished he had a thousand stories like the one he'd just told.

Through how their day had gone, Gilan was proud of the note they'd leave it on.

Even as they all went to their separate bedrolls and assigned watch duties for the night, the picture of Zelda smiling, blushing, and roaring with laughter filled his mind, soothing over any tribulations the day had previously cost them.


End file.
